# Pulla-Pulla-Pulla.



## AwayWeGo (Jan 26, 2007)

At my regular semi-annual dental check-up & cleaning on Monday, I got a full set of X-ray pictures taken in addition to all the other stuff they do.  The dentist came in, took a look at the pictures, took a look at my sparkling-clean & professionally scrubbed teeth, & told me I had 2 options regarding tooth #17, which had gone bad -- a crown or extraction.  No. 17 is a (pardon the expression) "wisdom" tooth, so I said I'd go for extraction -- no brainer.  The dentist said OK & wrote me a referral to an oral surgeon. 

Apparently it's slow season in oral surgery around here, because I got an appointment for the next day.  I showed up, filled out the paperwork, whipped out my Blue Cross card, & was shown to a chair.  The oral surgeon came in, took a look, viewed the X-ray my dentist sent over, & went to work.  After shooting me up with novocaine or some such, he made small talk while the novocaine took hold, covering such topics as Starbucks coffee, the world situation, advances in orthopedic surgery worldwide, & I don't know what-all. 

By & by the oral surgeon was ready to get serious & so was I.  He propped my mouth open with something resembling a hockey puck & went at the bad tooth with various instruments, including something that (judging by its noise level) must resemble a miniature chain saw.  That is to say, the bad tooth did not come out all in 1 chunk.  Excavation was required.  Nevertheless, when it was all over after a few minutes more, the oral surgeon said neither the jawbone nor the gums had been injured -- no stitches were needed to hold things together.  Everything was fine, he said, before retiring to his little between-patients office hideaway. 

An assistant handed me a "recovery" kit containing sterile gauze pads, an instant cold compress, & an instruction sheet, mentioning in passing that I had just undergone a "difficult" extraction.  She also handed me prescriptions for an antibiotic & a _strong_ painkiller. 

Back home, I gulped down an antibiotic capsule & a painkiller pill, then zonked out for the balance of the afternoon.  By evening, I was feeling pretty much OK -- skipped the strong painkiller & took generic Price Club ibuprofen instead.  Felt good enough Wednesday to go to band practice Wednesday night -- played decently, had a nice time.   Took more antibiotic, took more ibuprofen.  Went to bed.  Then -- _WHAP !_ -- my jawbone started hurting so bad it woke me up out of a sound sleep, about 3:30 a.m.  I found the prescription pain medicine & took 1 dose of that, praying for it to take hold quick.  After 25 minues or so, it did.  Couldn't sleep.  Had another dose about 8AM, then went back to bed & slept till 10AM or so.  _Whew !_ 

The Chief Of Staff got me to call the oral surgeon's office later that day to report on all that, with the idea in mind that maybe I was experiencing "dry socket" -- a painful complication.  The oral surgeon's office said that if I was getting relief from the prescription painkiller (which I was), then "dry socket" was unlikely -- generic vicodin can't touch "dry socket" pain, they said.  

Sticking with the strong stuff, I've left all driving to The Chief Of Staff, including a trip to nursery school yesterday afternoon to pick up our grandson so he could come over & play with Grandma Carol & Papa Alan while his dad was at work & his mom was attending to important meetings & appointments.  Brass quintet rehearsal was at my house that night & I discovered that it is possible to play horn while under the influence of generic vicodin.  Who'd a-thunk? 

Meanwhile, I am treating my entire oral-dental-maxilofacial zone with extreme gentleness & tenderness while healing progresses.  Follow-up appointment with the oral surgeon is in 7 days. 

This week's experience makes me wonder why I turned down the army dentist who wanted to pull all 4 of my wisdom teeth -- free -- back in 1967.  Saying no seemed like a good idea at the time. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Spence (Jan 26, 2007)

I'd say you done well in keeping your wisdom until now.  I'm sure your posts will go down hill fast, without it.  I dunno, I don't think Id'a blown a horn for weeks, but that's me... I had mine out prior to my 25years of 'free' dental care.


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## Kathy Q (Jan 26, 2007)

I only grew two lower wisdom teeth, no upper ones.  I guess I started out only half as smart as most everyone else and went down hill from there when I had them extracted in my 20's...  :ignore: 

Kathy Q


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## wackymother (Jan 26, 2007)

I have all four of mine. They came in all on their own when I was a teenager and I've barely thought about them since. Except when I go to a new dentist and he says, "Look, you have all your wisdom teeth!"


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## johnmfaeth (Jan 26, 2007)

I also have all of mine, and like Wackymother, new dentists have been shocked that I have all of them.

They then all proceed to say "you should have them out" and I ask what issue they cause and am told no issues. 

So I say "I like them just where they are".

That is the exact dialogue from the last three "encounters". Did I say I didn't like dentistry?


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## rkd (Jan 26, 2007)

I think playing your horn so soon after a surgical extraction may have disturbed the site which was in the early stages of healing.

Regina


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## Jestjoan (Jan 26, 2007)

I hope you are feeling better soon. NO FUN.


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## riverdees05 (Jan 26, 2007)

All of my four daughters had to have their cut out, so I paid for 16 wisdom teeth to be removed.  The insurance was always fun, the dental saying it was medical and the medical saying it was dental, each paid a little, but I paid the rest.  Glad it is history, now.


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## wackymother (Jan 26, 2007)

Hope you're feeling a bit better now, Alan. Dental work is no fun!


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## Summit1231 (Jan 26, 2007)

*Deja - Pulla*

Brings back bad memories
3 wisdom teeth removed no problem
Final wisdom tooth removed at a much later age
It was supposed to be easy but very difficult removal
Tooth root was wrapped around my jaw bone
Years of pressing a phone receiver to my jaw
Part of jaw bone came out with extraction

Got through one night and then the pain dropped me to my knees

Had to stop by dental office every couple days to have some nasty stuff packed into the wound. It took about 3 weeks to get pain free

Hope your progress is much faster

Wisdom tooth removal undermined tooth next door and lost it soon after 

Eventually had a dental implant which has been solid for many years

Might want to get another independent Xray and opinion of what is going on while it is all fresh

Don't pick up the horn or a straw until you are completely better

Take Care

Bob


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## PigsDad (Jan 27, 2007)

So am I the only one who thinks most dentists are a little quick to recommend that people get their wisdom teeth removed?  I was especially shocked to hear "johnmfaeth" had a dentist that wanted to remove them, *when they weren't causing a problem at all!?!?!*

Personally, I have all four of my wisdom teeth, and I had a root canal / crown put on one of them.  My dentist said that I definitely use them for chewing, and if I had them removed it would put more stress on the remaining molars.  Seemed to make sense to me.  I'll keep my teeth as long as I can, thank you very much.

Kurt


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## Icarus (Jan 27, 2007)

The only time any dentist recommended I remove them is when I was having problems with them. I think I have one left. 1 came in impacted when I was 18 or so and needed to be removed. One became a problem in my 30's and I had the third one removed a few years ago when it had a problem.

I guess it depends on the dentist. I've had many over the years. I don't think you should have them removed just for the heck of it, but some people have problems because the roots become long, twisted and can cause other problems. Maybe in those cases it makes sense to remove them earlier rather than wait for the problems to occur.

In some people, the roots are pretty curved and it may not be reasonable to do a root canal on them. Your case sounds like it was possible to do the root canal, so you were probably lucky with the roots on yours. You really don't need them .. many people are born without them and I recall hearing from an anthropologist that lack of wisdom teeth is an evolutionary human trait. Apparently, baldness is also an evolutionary trait.

Since I was born with wisdom teeth and have a full head of hair, I guess I'm closer to the missing link than I am to future man. 

-David


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## DonM (Jan 27, 2007)

Icarus said:


> .. many people are born without them and I recall hearing from an anthropologist that lack of wisdom teeth is an evolutionary human trait. Apparently, baldness is also an evolutionary trait.
> -David



Perhaps your anthropologist friend was bald and born without wisdom teeth?


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## grest (Jan 27, 2007)

Wow, Alan, you really know how to get it done in a hurry!
Personally my mouth chose the dry socket route...also lots of fun.  Why do we need these wisdom teeth anyway??  Are they related to the useless appendix?
Connie


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## Blondie (Jan 27, 2007)

I'm thinking the generic vicodin is responsible for not only great horn playing, but also for some sassy writing!! Great story. In the world of high school where I work kids routinely have the wisdom teeth out their senior year before any  problems occur. It is sort of a rite of passage. The thought is 
A- do this while they have insurance and 
B- do this before they head off to college when it could become a BIG problem FAST...


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## grest (Jan 27, 2007)

Blondie said:


> I'm thinking the generic vicodin is responsible for not only great horn playing, but also for some sassy writing!! Great story. In the world of high school where I work kids routinely have the wisdom teeth out their senior year before any  problems occur. It is sort of a rite of passage. The thought is
> A- do this while they have insurance and
> B- do this before they head off to college when it could become a BIG problem FAST...



Not a bad idea, blondie.
Connie


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## susieq (Jan 27, 2007)

WOW!!  What a story! Hope you're soon feeling better Alan!

Sue


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## KforKitty (Jan 27, 2007)

All 4 of my wisdom teeth are also intact.  One of them has had no work on it whatsoever.  I intend to keep them for as long as I can.

Kitty


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## teachingmyown (Jan 27, 2007)

Ouch!!! Just reading that story makes my jaw hurt!!  Thankfully, I don't remember ever having to have any post-baby teeth pulled and I must be one of the ones who evolution deemed wise enough to not need wisdom teeth cause I'm hitting my mid-40's and they've never made an appearance.  :whoopie: 

One of my funny stories on hubby was when he had a wisdom tooth removed and I accompanied him, with two small boys in tow, to the oral surgeon's office.  The anesthesia used wiped out his short term memory for several hours.  All afternoon we kept having the exact same conversation over and over and over because he kept forgetting that we had just had it 5 min before.  It was like something out of Star Trek or Stargate...the infinite time loop where unsuspecting folk get caught in a warp and are doomed to repeat the same stretch of time over and over until something finally breaks loose and lets them go!  For us it was the passing of about 8 hours.   

Hope you're all better soon, Alan


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## Icarus (Jan 27, 2007)

DonM said:


> Perhaps your anthropologist friend was bald and born without wisdom teeth?



It was so long ago .. as I recall it was a high school special lecture, and she was a well-known anthropologist, with a full head of hair. 

I guess I remember it because she was a character, and it was a very good event.

-David


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## happymum (Jan 28, 2007)

Well, DH is an oral surgeon and he thinks that perhaps band practise was not a wise choice if it involved anything other than playing the drums!!
However, I have my own story of misery to add. Many years ago I was having a bunionectomy and thought that since I would be off work for 6 weeks anyway, it would be an opportune time to have all 4 impacted wisdom teeth pulled. This was also not a good decision.


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## Icarus (Jan 28, 2007)

Did DH remove them?

I don't think I would do more than 2 (on the same side) at a time.

-David


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## IreneLF (Jan 28, 2007)

I got mine later in life, 20's+.
By 40 the dentist said one really should be taken out,so we did and it was so easy i didn't even know he'd done it - he just 'tapped ' and it came out (!)

Guess that was lucky.
IMO, any surgery is SURGERY with all the risks and pain associated...

I still have parts of three wisdom teeth.
Last week, went to dentist for normal checkup and they took xrays. Again dentist  asked if I was bothered by one particular tooth. Again I said NO.
His reply -- the pictures are just TERRIBLE, AWFUL, ... but if it's not bothering you, let's leave it alone.

Having read some things here I AM going to leave it alone even though there is that fear that it will one day become painful and it will have to be removed in some emergency situation (and what if that is an inconvenient time, like I"m in a timeshare someplace far from home?)... but i think, if it's not a problem, leave it be, especially after reading some of you. I never relaized how bad this could be.... .

Good luck and hope recovery is soon. 
Very funny Blondie about the vicodin remark responsible for snazzy  playing/writing - i thought the same thing


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## grest (Jan 28, 2007)

happymum said:


> Well, DH is an oral surgeon and he thinks that perhaps band practise was not a wise choice if it involved anything other than playing the drums!!
> However, I have my own story of misery to add. Many years ago I was having a bunionectomy and thought that since I would be off work for 6 weeks anyway, it would be an opportune time to have all 4 impacted wisdom teeth pulled. This was also not a good decision.



Misery!
Connie


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## happymum (Jan 28, 2007)

Nope DH was a student at the time. Darn good thing too!!


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 1, 2007)

*Pulla-Pulla Follow-Up.*

Was scheduled for follow-up appointment Friday morning, but got that moved up to Thursday afternoon because of the threat of ice & snow Friday morning. 

Oral surgeon said, "Open, please.  Turn this way."  I did.  He had a look, & said, "Wow!  That looks great!  Even better healing than I expected." 

Case closed.  I think. 
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## jlr10 (Feb 2, 2007)

I spoke with my dentist on my last visit.  Currently I only have 27 teeth in my mouth, and other than a baby tooth that never fell out, I haven't had any teeth pulled.  So I asked about my wisdom teeth.  He told me I had three, but didn't get four (so I am missing two teeth? I should move with my brother to Arkansas )  He said the three that I had were way up in my jaw, and unless then began to move, hardly likely since I will 47, next week, or they begin to cause problems, they aren't hurting anything and to just leave them were they were.  Having had prior surgery to go get a missing canine tooth that was next to my lodged nearer to my nose than my other teeth, I readily agreed to that decision.  Although the first surgery did cause me to lose 20 pounds in a month....., still seems like to drastic of a diet plan!

Glad everything worked out well in the end.


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## hibbeln (Feb 2, 2007)

Regina has it just right........blame it on the horn!  

For 3-4 days after having teeth pulled, if you have a pressure change in your mouth (vigorous sucking, crazy spitting, using a straw......oh and blowing on a horn!) it will dislodge the blood clot that lies over the bone down in the socket and protects it while the epithelium is growing over it.  The "dry socket" feeling is raw bone being exposed....which I bet is how it felt!  Lower wisdom teeth are the main culprits.  I had a case of dry socket when my wisdoms were pulled.........ooooooooooh doggies, it is NOT fun is it?!

I must say, I warn people of all sorts of things after an extraction, but hadn't thought of warning off brass instruments for a few days.  We will add it to our list of rules!

Debi (the dentist)


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 22, 2007)

*Implanta-Planta-Planta.*

The chain of dental events that started with that wisdom tooth pulla-pulla continued on through the year & is not done yet.  This morning's chapter was extraction of the molar right in front of where the missing wisdom tooth used to be, followed by installation of a titanium implant where the root of the bad molar formerly was embedded.  Once that all settles down, more hardware will get fastened onto the implant & a crown -- permanent fake tooth -- will be cemented on top of the whole works.  That part could be 6 months off, I don't know.  Meanwhile, I'm not playing horn for a week or so -- & not eating solid foods for 3-4 days.  

My layperson's guesswork about what happened is that the wisdom tooth extraction jangled the roots of the neighboring tooth, which wasn't in such good condition anyhow -- cracked & abscessed, but jammed in so tight between its neighboring teeth that the defects did not assert themselves.  Removing 1 of the neighboring teeth changed all that & before long I was in toothache city. 

Macho man that I am, I planned on toughing it out till my next semiannual dental appointment, with the help of generic Price Club ibuprofen now & then, as needed (maybe a half-dozen times since February 2007).  I didn't make it -- got an appointment about a week ahead of the scheduled check-up, & was told the bad news at that time*:*  Root Canal.  Then the dentist left for vacation. 

My daughter-in-law, who had just undergone root canal, said I should go see her dentist because of the good treatment he did for her.  I went.  He said he doesn't do root canals on back teeth, but he did a super-thorough exam & found the prospects for saving the tooth were not good even though he referred me to an endodentist. 

After an even more thorough examination & digital X-ray, the endodentist said the tooth was a goner -- cracked clear through -- so root canal could not save it. 

Next stop, periodental-implant specialist -- although I put that off several weeks so I could play horn at 1 brass ensemble concert & 1 Fairfax Band concert I was signed up to play. 

Band concert was last Saturday night.  Extraction & implant started 7AM Monday -- & the periodental-implant specialist had me out of there a little after 8AM.  The Chief Of Staff drove me home & went to the drugstore for my follow-up prescriptions -- & by now I'm already out of my mind on Tylenol-3.  Follow-up appointment with the periodental-implant specialist is 7AM on Halloween -- a scary way to start the day.  After that, who knows? 

The bills for all this, so far, add up to approximately what we paid for our most expensive Floating Diamond 3BR lock-off Orlando timeshare.  When the treatment & restoration run their course, I'm expecting the additional charges to add up to enough for another (resale) timeshare.  I'm just grateful that I can afford it & that when major serious specialized treatment is needed, there are competent professionals readily available to do the procedures. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 24, 2007)

*The Feeling Of Relief.*

I am surprised & pleased at the lack of discomfort in the aftermath of Monday's pulla-pulla-pulla & implanta-planta-planta -- no need for any Tylenol-3 after the 1st day, no pain, minimal swelling.  Shux, the actual implant site is pretty much without sensation 1 way or another, while removal of that bad tooth has taken away a low-grade discomfort I had been living with more or less non-stop since February.  Since Monday I have been eating only softish foods, per instructions from the perio-implant specialist. Tomorrow I will try going back to regular foods. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## gsturtz (Oct 24, 2007)

AwayWeGo said:


> The bills for all this, so far, add up to approximately what we paid for our most expensive Floating Diamond 3BR lock-off Orlando timeshare.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



Sounds like you're well into the _dozens_ of dollars!

I hope the prevention I endured will preclude any of this pain.  When I joined the navy 23 years ago, if you had the potential to be on Submarines, they pulled all your wisdom teeth, regardless.  I recall the dentist pretty much with his knees on my shoulders and what resembled a automotive dent puller hammering away at my mouth.  
Besides the 4 new holes in my mouth the next day, most of the pain was from my neck; it strained very hard to keep my head on my body during my "minor surgical procedure"

I'm sure it wasn't that bad at the time, but every time I recall it, it gets worse!

Glad you're feeling better!


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## janapur (Oct 24, 2007)

Blondie said:


> I'm thinking the generic vicodin is responsible for not only great horn playing, but also for some sassy writing!! Great story. In the world of high school where I work kids routinely have the wisdom teeth out their senior year before any  problems occur. It is sort of a rite of passage. The thought is
> A- do this while they have insurance and
> B- do this before they head off to college when it could become a BIG problem FAST...



Sounds like good advice to me. Mine needed to come out during finals week before Spring break of my freshman year far away at college. That was a bad deal.


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 24, 2007)

*Son Of Pulla-Pulla.*




Blondie said:


> In the world of high school where I work kids routinely have the wisdom teeth out their senior year before any  problems occur. It is sort of a rite of passage. The thought is
> A- do this while they have insurance and
> B- do this before they head off to college when it could become a BIG problem FAST...


Our older son (now pushing 40*,* father of our grandson) had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled in 1 oral-surgery session on the morning of Christmas Eve, I believe it was, a few weeks before he turned 19.  As I recall, he was hurtin' for certain over just about 24 hours, then pretty much OK after that.  I mentioned that episode to him recently & he said he remembers he had'm out but doesn't recall much about the actual experience or the aftermath.  Good. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 31, 2007)

*Implanta-Planta Follow-Up.*

At this morning's follow-up appointment 9 days after extraction & implant, the perio-implant specialist said I am healing satisfactorily -- not exactly news, inasmuch as I've been feeling OK since 2-3 days after the procedure.  Next appointment is for late January (after The Chief Of Staff & I get back from a timeshare week or 2 in Florida).  At that time, the perio-implant specialist said he will attach some more hardware to the implant & give me some additional hardware that I'm to hand over to my regular family dentist so he can install that & attach a permanent fake tooth to it.  Sounds complicated. (And expensive.)  As it is already, when I open wide, it looks like I'm sporting Teeth By Tiffany. 

Out of curiosity more than anything else, I asked the perio-implant specialist what the tissue source was for the bone graft that he did as part of the implant procedure.  "Cadaver," he said.   Happy Halloween. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## nightnurse613 (Nov 1, 2007)

All I want to say is I hope someone is keeping all of Alan's little snippets in a collection somewhere. I expect to see them collected and sold on Ebay any day now!:rofl:


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## AwayWeGo (Dec 10, 2007)

*If You Thought Uncle Alan Had A Screw Loose Somewhere . . .*

. . . you weren't wrong.  But it's all tightened up now & the situation is completely squared away, to my very great relief. 

Saturday, after brass ensemble rehearsal, I had a sensation that my recent titanium dental implant was coming loose.  I was warned against poking around back there, but I couldn't keep myself from checking out the site digitally.  Sure enough, something seemed semi-wobbly. 

Then I got to worrying that all the horn playing I've been doing lately might be undoing the work my perio-implant specialist did for me at great expense.  Worse, I have 3 upcoming performance commitments on the schedule, plus the rehearsals leading up to those (1 wedding, 1 quintet gig, 1 holiday band concert).  

Not only that, I had a performance last night -- _The Glorious Sounds Of Christmas_ -- subbing on 3rd horn with the same ensemble I subbed with in October (at the same performance venue).   That's what the rehearsal was for Saturday morning.   After the Sunday performance, I had myself just about convinced that I'd wrecked my dental implant. 

So Monday morning I called the perio-implant specialist's office & got a 1PM appointment to find out how bad I'd damaged myself -- dentally -- by playing horn.  The dental assistant suggested all I had was a loose top screw.  "I think that's it," she said.  "Don't worry.  The doctor will fix it up for you in about 2 seconds."

_Top screw ?_  Who knew dental implants had screws on top?  Shux, I thought they worked by screwing on something called an _abutment_, but only after the implant became well anchored into the jawbone after several months of healing following the actual implant procedure. 

It turns out they do work that way, but before that the titanium implants have screw-like coverings that stay on top, right below the gum line, till time to unscrew those & attach the abutments. 

Pretty soon the perio-implant specialist came in, had a look, felt around, & said the top screw was loose.  It took him just about 2 seconds to retighten it, after which I was good to go -- _and_ highly relieved that I had done no damage to my expensive implant via playing horn. 

After coming home relieved of dental anxiety, I had lunch, & signed up via Internet for dental insurance.  Coverage starts the beginning of next month & unfortunately is not retroactive for what I've already had done this year.  However that may be, it's better to lock the barn door after the horse is out than never to lock the barn door at all. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Jan 30, 2008)

*Anti-Climax.*

Shux, all the perio-implant specialist did this morning was take a quick look, poke around digitally just a little, look around some more, then declare I'm good to go -- to go to my regular dentist, that is, for installation of a temporary (no doubt) & then a permanent crown atop this newfangled titanium artificial tooth-root implant. 

I thought the perio-implant specialist was going to give me some attachment hardware to take with me to the regular dentist.  Wrong.  My regular dentist already has all that stuff, the perio-implant specialist said.  Who knew?

On Friday the regular dentist's billing staff will be surprised when I whip out my brand-new dental insurance card.  Last time I was there, all I had with me was my checkbook. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## NYBrit (Jan 30, 2008)

Thanks Alan for your lighthearted story about your trials and tribulations about teeth. It is good that you are able to keep your head up with a sense of humor even though you had to endure the pain of the extractions and such.

Believe me, some people just hate going to the dentist, (myself and hubby included!).

Luckily, "knock on wood" my two wisdom teeth that did come through, oh wait..I just checked and my upper right one is halfway through..making that three wisdom teeth, but luckily they never gave me any problems.  In fact, I never even had a root canal, (I am knocking on my wooden desk as I type this!), and only had a few cavities filled while I was younger.

I know that we should take advantage that we have dental insurance and go for a check up.  My husband is petrified to go since he has had very bad experiences in England where he is from.

I think I just have to trick him in going with me for an appointment!  :rofl: 

Christine


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## bruwery (Jan 30, 2008)

Thanks for the stories, Alan.

I had all four wisdom teeth removed at age 19.  Unfortunately, at that age, everything in the head isn't solidly connected yet, and my brains leaked out through the holes caused by the extractions.

At least I think that's what happened.  All I know for sure is that at age 19 I knew everything, but I've felt less intelligent every day since that time.

My lovely wife, on the other hand, never had her wisdom teeth removed, and - not surprisingly - she still knows everything...


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## AwayWeGo (Jan 30, 2008)

*You & Me & Mark Twain.*




bruwery said:


> All I know for sure is that at age 19 I knew everything, but I've felt less intelligent every day since that time.


Funny how that works. 

When I was growing up*,* my father was a major league _doofus_ in just about every respect. 

By the time I was grown & gone*,* the old man had somehow managed to become extremely savvy & all-round knowledgeable. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## PigsDad (Jan 31, 2008)

NYBrit said:


> My husband is petrified to go since he has had very bad experiences in England where he is from.
> Christine



They have dentists in England?  

(Oops -- did I just say that out loud?)  :rofl:

Kurt


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## NYBrit (Jan 31, 2008)

PigsDad said:


> They have dentists in England?
> (Oops -- did I just say that out loud?)  :rofl:
> Kurt



That's funny!  Actual, my husband told me the reason he was so traumatized is because on two separate occasions, when he was in school, they, (the school), would have a dentist come in and check on all the kids.  If a child had a 'supposing' cavity, the dentist would automatically drill and fill the cavity *without* the use of gas or novocaine!!  The dentist and school weren't allowed to give the shot because the parents were not there or notified.  But, on the other hand, the dentist was allowed to give the most pain to the poor little frightened child.

By the way, my DH told me that on the two occasions, he never complained of a pain in his tooth at all and none of his teeth were bothering him.

I am so glad they do not do this to the school kids over here!!

Christine


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 4, 2008)

*Dental Plan Card + 51 Cents Good For Sr. Citz. Coffee At McDonalds.*

I whipped out my high-option dental coverage card only to find out that on the gold crown I'm getting I am completely self-insured.  It's an _implant_ crown -- not covered.  _Regular_ gold crown would have been covered.  Who knew? 

So I put away my dental plan card & got out my check book.  My outstanding 2008 solid gold implant dental crown is costing me only $28 more than my 2003 winning eBay bid that bought me my outstanding every-year Floating Diamond 3BR lock-off timeshare in Orlando FL. 

And that's just for the solid gold fake tooth (parts & labor).  For the solid titanium implant, installed last year before I even signed up for dental coverage, I had to write a check for right around that same amount or a bit more (parts & labor). 

From what I've been told about dental plans, however, they don't cover implants in any case.  So it goes. 

Philosophically, I suppose, I can take consolation in knowing I have significantly more money tied up in dental work over the years than in timeshares since 2002 -- plus, it gives me a whole new appreciation for that well known timeshare phrase _Gold Crown_. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## swift (Feb 5, 2008)

Just after DH and I were married, and I was still star struck  , the dentist wanted to remove DH's wisdom teeth. If I remember right they were impacted. Anyway, DH is not the kinda guy that goes to doctors and such easily and was a little ummmm unnerved about the idea. (the nice way of putting it  ) So the dentist asked me if I would have mine out. He said my mouth was small and so at some point I would probably need to have them out anyway.  DH could see it done and see that I survived and have his done. So I did.The oral surgeon put me under and all four were taken out. I survived and DH saw that other than being a little uncomfortable afterward it wasn't that bad. Two weeks later he had his out. The things we do for our hubby and kids.


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 6, 2008)

*Nobody's Perfect.*

Shux, I've got to go back to have new impressions made.  The dental lab told the dentist that the impressions he took last week are distorted -- no good for fabricating a solid _Gold Crown_ to fasten onto my solid titanium implant.  

That'll string the process out another week or so, eh?  

So it goes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 25, 2008)

*Installa-Stalla-Stalla & Adjusta-Justa-Justa.*

OK, Friday the dentist installed my solid gold crown on top of my solid titanium implant.  Before he could get it just exactly right, it got stuck.  So he said I should show up at his other office Monday morning so he could get it all squared away for me. 

Monday morning, he snicked that stuck gold tooth clean off the implant quick as can be, did something to the little gold nugget, stuck it back on to re-check (bite, contact, etc.), declared it good to go & cemented it on forevermore-amen with Super Glue or J.B.Weld or Mighty Putty or whatever the dentists around here are using these days. 

I expect the new tooth will last longer than I will -- for a total cost roughly equal to the $$$ I've got tied up in 4 timeshares.  Who'd a-thunk ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Mar 29, 2008)

*Pulla-Pulla-Pulla & More Pulla-Pulla-Pulla.*

Now that the novelty has worn off my solid gold crown that's nicely installed atop my solid titanium root implant, I went back to the dentist for nothing more than a regular dental hygiene session & routine check-up. 

Teeth are nice & clean.  X-rays all look good, the dentist says.  But in his professional opinion I really ought to have my 2 remaining wisdom teeth taken out. 

While I am not looking forward to that experience with any positive form of anticipation, I still have to acknowledge that for the most part I have a very high grade of problems to deal with compared with (say) folks who have bad teeth or no teeth or no dental plan or no money to pay for dental care, etc. 

So even having all this additional & unanticipated _pulla-pulla_ in the picture can't really crimp my Attitiude Of Gratitude. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## dioxide45 (Mar 29, 2008)

Icarus said:


> Since I was born with wisdom teeth and have a full head of hair, I guess I'm closer to the missing link than I am to future man.
> 
> -David



If you were really born with your wisdom teeth, I sure feel sorry for your momma.


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## normab (Mar 29, 2008)

I am glad you are healed.

I am also wondering about playing an brass instrument that requires blowing and pressure within the mouth.  I remember being told not to use a straw for 3 days after having teeth pulled--and that would be much less pressure.

I hate dental work but I already have 4 implants; so with many years before me I know I am not done.   I am glad yours is doing well.

Norma


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## bobcat (Mar 29, 2008)

normab said:


> I am glad you are healed.
> 
> I am also wondering about playing an brass instrument that requires blowing and pressure within the mouth.  I remember being told not to use a straw for 3 days after having teeth pulled--and that would be much less pressure.
> 
> ...



ALAN, Glad to hear you are better. Now that you have a gold crown, DO WE CALL YOU KING.?????


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## bogey21 (Mar 30, 2008)

AwayWeGo said:


> This week's experience makes me wonder why I turned down the army dentist who wanted to pull all 4 of my wisdom teeth -- free -- back in 1967.  Saying no seemed like a good idea at the time.



ALAN - Don't got there.  I had my 4 wisdom teeth taken out by an Army dentist while I was in Korea in 1954.  I think by the time he had them out there were between 10 and 12 pieces and I was laid up about a Week.  Pure agony!  And this from a guy who doesn't get laid up easily.  I maybe missed 5 days of work in 50 years. 

GEORGE


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## bogey21 (Mar 30, 2008)

ALAN - You will end up loving your implant.  Yes, they are expensive and yes, they seem to take forever to get finished because the post has to set before the crown is affixed.  I have 5 in my mouth dating back almost 10 years when implants were in their infancy.  Once you are finished you will not be able to tell the difference between your implant  and your regular teeth.  I have had one problem with my 5 over the 10 year period.  One crown popped off.  I managed to not swallow it; took it to my dentist; he cleaned it; cemented it back on; and it has been good as new.  Took all of 15 minutes.

GEORGE


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## bogey21 (Mar 30, 2008)

Check your insurance carefully before you go the implant route.  Mine covered both the post and the crown but had a $1,500 maximum.  I managed to get everything paid by insurance by having the extraction and post late in the year and the crown built and affixed early the next year.  And I did this five times over a ten year span.

GEORGE


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## AwayWeGo (Mar 30, 2008)

*Pay Big Bux For Tooth Implants, Not For Timeshares.*




bogey21 said:


> Check your insurance carefully before you go the implant route.


I got the implant _before_ I got dental coverage & I got the gold crown installed on top of the implant _after_ I got dental coverage.  However, the plan doesn't cover implant-crowns.  So I paid the bills myself.  I spent approximately as much money on the implant & crown as I spent on 4 resale timeshares.  (Well, three-&-a-half timeshares if you count my EEY timeshare as just 1/2 a timeshare.) 

I expect that my next 2 installments of _pulla-pulla-pulla_ will be covered.  Under the dental plan, I paid nothing out of pocket for last week's examination & cleaning. 

BTW, when I mentioned something about the progress of my titanium implant to a horn section colleague who's considering getting 1, the lady next to her remarked, "My sister said she just got implants, but I don't think they were for her teeth."  

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Mar 30, 2008)

*Taking It Easy After Pulla-Pulla-Pulla.*




normab said:


> I am also wondering about playing an brass instrument that requires blowing and pressure within the mouth.  I remember being told not to use a straw for 3 days after having teeth pulled--and that would be much less pressure.


I learned the hard way about that.  Next time, I'm going to schedule _pulla-pulla-pulla_ right after a concert, not right before. 

Thanks for the heads-up. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Apr 6, 2008)

*Signed Up For [More] Pulla-Pulla.*

Yank date is April 24 -- smack in between the April 18 Spotlight On The Arts opener & the May 4 Last Night Of Spotlight  concert.  

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Apr 24, 2008)

*All Done With Pulla-Pulla-Pulla.  (Here's Hoping Anyhow.)*

Band rehearsal was Wednesday night.  Extraction of 2 remaining wisdom teeth was Thursday noon.  Next rehearsal coming up is next week on Wednesday, when I just might play hooky from band practice, depending.  We'll see. 

Oral surgeon was new to me.  I went on referral from my regular dentist -- the 1 who sent me to the perio-implant specialist last year & who installed a solid gold crown on top of the solid titanium implant installed by the perio-implant specialist. 

The oral surgeon is not only a DMD but also an MD, which makes sense in that it's not just an oral surgery practice but also a maxilo-facial surgery practice that does all sorts of marvelous corrective & restorative medical-dental things to that area of the anatomy.  

I showed up 5 minutes late for my 11:30 appointment, whipped out my Medicare & dental insurance cards, filled in loads of paperwork, & got halfway through a semi-old magazine before it was my turn.  The assistant escorted me to a tricky panoramic X-ray machine, draped my torso in lead, pushed the button, then after some brief _zappa-zappa_ took me to the _pulla-pulla_ chamber  & had me plop into the chair.  Pretty soon the doctor came in, introduced himself, took a look at the X-ray, had a look at his targets, shot me up with industrial strength novocaine, & left the room while major serious numbness set in.  

Once that happened, the doctor returned & set to work.  After approximately 11 minutes of actual _pulla-pulla_, the job was all done -- just 11 minutes -- both bad teeth were outta there & I was good to go. 

Who'd a-thunk? 

I mean, it was at least double that number of actual _pulla_ minutes when I had the extraction done in connection with the solid titanium implant.  

And I'm guessing it was approximately triple that number of actual _pulla_ minutes when that "difficult" previous wisdom tooth extraction was done -- the 1 that led to all those perio-implant adventures of last year. 

That leaves me with a sense of optimism about the prospects for a quick recovery (if I remember to take it easy & lay off horn for a while), & it also leaves me with a feeling of admiration for the talent & skill of the oral surgeon. 

Tomorrow we're away to our dinky 35-foot non-traveling travel trailer at Rehoboth Beach DE for a long weekend of combined R&R + convalescent leave.  (Might as well milk it for all it's worth, eh?)   Recovery regimen consists of soft foods, a week of antibiotics, & pain medicines as needed.  So far, with the novocaine completely worn off, OTC generic ibuprofen seems to be doing the job. 

Here's hoping this is the final episode in the _pulla-pulla_ saga for a long time. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Jul 24, 2008)

*Implanta-Planta Refunda-Funda.*

It's like playing Monopoly & landing on a Chance or Community Chest space & getting a card that says, _Dental Insurance Policy Covers Implant Crown After All -- Collect $422_ 

Of course, the implant crown cost lots more than $422.  But every little bit helps. 

Who'd a-thunk ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 21, 2008)

*Recycling Dental Gold.*

The dentist who on 1979 installed an outstanding solid gold crown on 1 of my back teeth said at the time, "There.  That should last you a good 25 years." 

Well, it's been longer than 25 years & sure enough, that outstanding solid gold crown plum wore out -- decay was showing at the upper edge where my gumline has started receding & there's an actual hole through the solid gold where the cement gluing the crown onto the tooth stub was showing through.  

Fortunately, my current dentist was able to cut off the old crown & prepare what's left of the tooth underneath for a new crown.  In fact, the original crown wore through because the dentist who installed it left so much of the original tooth in place that the gold was too thin at that point.  Hard to blame him -- grind off too much of the natural tooth & it starts getting close to the nerve.  Grind off too little & the gold is too thin at the chewing surface.  So it goes. 

In any case, all the decay has been removed & the tooth stub prepared for an all-new solid gold crown, which is being manufactured for me over at the dental lab even as I type.  Of course, what's left of the natural tooth has been ground down even closer than before to the nerve, & the dentist says I face a 50-50 chance of needing root canal on that tooth.  He says I'll know without doubt over the next 2 weeks, starting with sensitivity to heat & cold.  

Meanwhile, the dentist handed me a little packet containing the 2 cut-off fragments of the old crown, which he says I can sell to some establishment that commercially recycles scrap gold from jewelry & old dental work.  The 2 fragments don't amount to much, so I'd be surprised if it's worth much. 

We've seen recent TV commercials from 2 or 3 different companies advertising that they'll pay cash for old gold, including old dental gold, that people send in via postage-paid envelopes that the companies send out on request. 

Any TUG folks with experience recycling gold that way ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Passepartout (Oct 21, 2008)

Well, Alan, I know it's done. Now this may gross out some readers. It does me, but here goes. About 20 years ago my mother's husband, not my dad, passed away. He had no heirs, and his desire was to be cremated and inurned with his WWII buddies, where he'd spent what he felt were his best years. He arranged with the family dentist to drop by the funeral parlor and remove the gold from his mouth after he didn't need it any more. This was done and in due time Mom got a check from the dentist.

Jim Ricks


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