"May Peace Prevail On Earth"

Do you remember how, a couple of months ago, I went to the Dentist for an operation? I think I spared you the details but I actually had two things done: on one side, where I have a tooth missing, the gum was fattened up and a peg put in, which will have a new tooth attached next year. On the other side, an old implant is being replaced and a temporary bridge was put over the gap.

To be honest, the bridge was never that comfortable and I constantly felt there was something in my mouth. And then, one night, while I was half asleep, it came loose. I went back to the dentist who told me that the bridge had been attached on one side to an old filling that had not been up to the job of supporting the bridge. I had an emergency filling and the bridge was reattached. 

I started worrying the bridge constantly with my tongue and sleeping badly, concerned that it would come loose again. Two or three times, I've had this horrible dream where all my teeth start to melt and flow out of my mouth like ice water and when I catch them and look at my hands, I'm holding rocks and pieces of metal that could never fit in my mouth. 

Anyway, the bridge did come out again, yesterday. I could push it back into place and it would stay there but I needed to get it cemented in again. I took it out and grinned and myself in the mirror. The missing tooth is the fourth one round. I felt very self-conscious. 

But I took it out last night - slept really well - and didn't put it back in this morning. What a relief! And, oddly, I didn't feel particularly self-conscious. I went to the office and carried on as usual. In the afternoon, I walked into Kendal and went to see Neil the dentist. We had a bit of a chat and then he looked at the peg and the gap, and said both were healing really well. 

He said that he could cement the bridge back in again but I decided I'd be OK without it. And what a relief having made that decision. I don't know what it is about teeth but it's always the part of me that I've found most upsetting when anything was wrong. I can live with my gaps for a couple of months!

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-12.2 kgs
Reading: 'The Testaments' by Margaret Atwood