I dream of teeth

On Wednesday night I dreamed I went to see my dentist and she wasn't there. Many strange events and circumstances had transpired to make me late, and when I arrived her area was empty. I was very sad, because this meant that I was never going to have my stitches removed and would have a mass of wet string in my mouth for the rest of my life. (Is it weird that I'm now dreaming about going to the dentist? Let's hope it was just because I really wanted my stitches out!)

Thankfully, this did not happen when I went in on Friday. I was a few minutes late thanks to the mass transit system being what it is, but it wasn't a problem. However, once Fatema had called me from the waiting room and brought me back to her chair she discovered that Dr. Chueng was nowhere to be found. Dr. Chueng is the one who has been taking the measurements in my mouth from the start, so we couldn't possibly take them without her.

Fatema called and left her a message and set about completing the portion of the appointment that she could do on her own--taking photographs of my progress and removing the stitches. She applied a topical numbing agent, so I couldn't feel much while she was cutting the thread and pulling it out, but I could see the pieces of thread as they came out, and it's amazing how long some of them were.

By the time we had finished that, Dr. Chueng had appeared and we were able to take the measurements. Afterward Fatema gave me a fancy new interdental brush to keep the spaces between my teeth clean. I won't be allowed to floss for many more weeks as the bone and soft tissue continue to grow, but the plaque still needs to be kept out. The same company also makes extra-soft toothbrushes which are better for my extra sensitive tissue post-surgery. Sadly, the only store in all of Massachusetts that sells them is about two hours away by car. Who would have thought I would end up buying my toothbrushes online? Still, it's a small price to pay for a healthy mouth. That's what I have to keep telling myself when I get frustrated by the pain and inconvenience of oral surgery. The pain is temporary, but the benefits are long-lasting. I may not be able to bite into an apple right now, but I'll be glad when I am an old woman and able to do so with my own teeth.

-Kim