random truths – Day 1,058 (Wednesday) –prep work

The long-awaited dental appointment finally happened this morning. This was the crown preparation for the tooth that broke long enough ago that I can’t remember when it was. August? Maybe September?

Anyway. The tooth broke while I was eating trail mix I didn’t even really want and was probably eating from boredom. It was checked quickly, and based on the x-ray, deemed to need a root canal  and plugged with something temporary. The appointment was set for a root canal. 

Pointy tools.

On root canal day, the dentist looking at the tooth declared it looked worse in the x-ray than it actually was, and put a temporary something on it. An appointment was set for the next step, which I thought was to be the crown preparation, except when I arrived after the 45-minute ride, it was to blow cold air on the tooth to check the nerve to make sure it was viable. Ten minutes later I was on my way, with an appointment for the crown preparation a couple days after Christmas. The week of the appointment I tested positive for COVID. The crown prep appointment was rescheduled to the first available slot, which was some five weeks later, which brings us to today. 

At the office, Dr. L bounced between me and one or two other patients, one of whom had some sort of infection and was being sent to a specialist in Westford for an appointment in about an hour. The sound sure does carry in the space. As I overheard the discussion in the next station through no effort of my own, I thought, "hey, that's the same street as my dermatologist" but had the good sense to remain quiet. 

The drill, vacuum, and water jet made enough noise inside my head to temporarily drown out the usual shrill of the tinnitus. The variation in frequency and tone was a bit refreshing. The dentist and assistant talking over my head and the crappy country music playing over the office music system added to the din. 

Impressions were taken and a temporary crown crafted and installed. It took 1.5 hours which kind of felt like forever, and I'm pretty sure it was the music that was the biggest contributor. In two weeks, the permanent crown should be ready and hopefully it will fit on the first try, unlike the last crown. I was assured that it wouldn't take a long as today's visit. Fingers are crossed for good luck.