Going for Gold

Over a year ago I first mentioned to my dentist a sensitivity in one of my upper teeth.  At that point it was slight and intermittent, so he said we should just watch it.  But I recently realized I was no longer chewing on that side of my mouth and any change in temperature sent me through the roof.

The odd thing was I went in this past week swearing it was a tooth that already had a crown and a root canal.  How could that possibly be?  But when my dentist touched a piece of ice to the molar behind that tooth, I knew just how wrong I was.

One hour later I walked out of his office with a temporary crown and high hopes that I wouldn’t need a root canal.  It all seemed so painless and easy, except for the $1675 charged on my Visa.

The immediate relief of my symptoms was so profound.  I could chew on both sides.  I could drink water with ice in it and hot tea without wincing.  Even though I have only the temporary crown, it seems like such a permanent fix.  In a month or so I will have my new gold tooth in place.

I am struck by how we often accept gradual changes in our bodies without paying much attention to them.  It was only when I was in agony that I realized I needed to get my cracked tooth repaired.

I wondered if a person with dementia has the same experience.  Is the very gradual loss of one’s mind even perceptible?  

I also wonder about my hip-back-gait issues.  I’m sure they collectively are worse than they were a few years ago, but the change is so gradual.

Unfortunately not everything can be fixed as easily as a broken tooth, and some things are just not fixable.