I love my teeth, and they are nearly done.
Let me explain. I have just had or almost have finished, a cosmetic restoration of almost all my upper teeth.
It started as a child. I was born without one of my top teeth as a genetic defect, albeit a small genetic defect. As a result of this missing tooth, my upper teeth had significant spaces between them. I had braces as a kid to move the teeth over and leave an appropriate-sized gap for the missing tooth. And, a false tooth was suspended in the space by various means over the years to fill out the space. The intent, to have my upper teeth in a near perfect smile.
But, in reality, what happened was a dental process of not such perfection that has lasted nearly 50 years. All in the effort to suspend one false upper tooth and provide the required dental structure to hold it in place. Over the years I have had a full upper retainer with a false tooth, attached. I’ve had crowns with a cantilevered false tooth and now a full bridge, 2 crowns that suspend the false tooth between them.
Over 50 years, due to gum changes, probably some poor maintenance on my part and general aging, and some poor choices in dentists, I’ve had dental work with crowns, false teeth and veneers redone 5 times, or maybe only 4, I’ve lost count.
And this is the last time. I pray this is the last time. I finally wound up at a Mr. Wizard of cosmetic dentistry. A perfectionist disguised as a highly skilled, trained and experienced dentist in the body of a kind and compassionate man.
I became aware that my teeth needed to be reworked, again, due to a hole, essentially a defect in one of my crowns. In consultation with Mr. Wizard Dentist, I opted for a full cosmetic restoration of all my upper teeth. I’ve had a full design, impressions, grinding to remove all the old crowns and attaching appliances, temporaries, adjustments and final cementing of the permanent porcelain crowns, veneers and bridges.
The smile is perfect beyond belief.
It’s a new found confidence.
I feel not only younger but more capable. I feel unstoppable.
How can smooth, uniformly white, large and matching teeth do this? How did I not know my previous teeth had been holding me back? How had I worked with less than the A-team of dentists on something so intimate as my smile? God only knows.
And now, my memory fades of the numbing, the numerous lidocaine shots, nitrous oxide, mouth open wide, grinding, laser preparations, cauterization of bleeding gums, burning smells, hydrocarbon glue smells, intense pressure of gum line cord to establish margins for the lab preparations of the final crowns, bleeding and soreness. It’s all in the past as I look in the mirror: healthy gums, beautiful white teeth.
All that remains are my sad lower teeth which look like old dingy underwear. I think I may need to get the lower set fully veneered to match. God help me.