A tooth's tale!

By Rhiannonw

Fri, 08 Jan 2021
  • 537 reads
6 comments
 

18, and front teeth capped,
filed to points and wrapped
in porcelain – take care as you eat,
but done for free, and looked so neat!

Maybe then or later, one broke away,
a full crown made, cemented in to stay,
with a gold rod fixed into my root,
no need yet for a dental plate.

When courting, one crown came off –
what a sight that day with a spiky tooth!
fixed back in in a very short while,
no longer beaming a fearsome smile!

Then in lockdown, the ‘full crown’ came loose
One dentist had retired and appointments were scarce,
so round the rod I’d sometimes wrap
dental fixative to fill smile’s gap!

The dentists said that it would stay
better, and I needn’t delay
and also fill a hole with a purchased potion –
but self-dentistry seemed to risk infection.

One day it wasn’t to be found,
coming loose, left lying around,
at meal time – or did my loose crown
get mixed with my sandwich, swallowed down?

At last I saw a dentist, and with quick intent
the root came out and a mould was sent –
not ready for Christmas, but now a full set of teeth
– to smile with no gap is a great relief!

 

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Comments

Submitted by marandina on

It is a bit of a mair trying to organise anything dental at the moment. I am six months overdue for a routine check up because I don't want to be a burden. Glad you got it sorted!

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you! Yes, I should have had a checkup in March but it was left as my age was encouraged to isolate at the time, and since then with tha pause on dental work, the new regulations, and, with us, the shortage of one dentist, I was put on the 'non-emergency' list for the crown out and for a hole that became infected, but as  that (after antibiotics) and the crown were not painful, they were just remaining 'non-urgent'. I thought the crown only needed sterislising the root and replacing, but in the end it did need the decaying root removed. The hole still is on the 'non-urgent' list as is check-up! But I'm wary of doing a 'home-filling' as has been suggested, despite buying the filling mixture from the chemist. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Nolan on

Very interessting! Don't bite the dentist! &

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Yes! So easy to get cross these days with health staff, teachers etc trying to make sense of rules and do things well and who have sympathy on those wanting their services. This dentist was in our surgery temporarily and was so nice and helpful and got through the stages more efficiently than usual! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

I'm also long overdue a check up and hoping nothing disastrous happens before lockdown ends!  

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

We've been so used to easy checkups and much access to such care, haven't we? I hope you stay tooth-comfortable! Rhiannon