My tooth's front (left) and back (right). The decay was really reddish.
Last week I went to the dentist for the first time in 16 years and today was the down payment for my negligence, procrastination and poor dental-care habits. First was the extraction (pulling) of the tooth deemed beyond redemption. As you can see from these pictures, Tom Savini couldn’t make something this nasty.
Despite the tragic loss of my molar (upper, left side), the extraction was impressive and amazingly quick. I think waiting for that side of my mouth to become numb took longer. The dentist warned me about cracking noises but not to panic over them I (can’t imagine why anyhow, the tooth was deemed a goner). Before I knew it, the tooth had come out. I didn’t even have to raise my left hand to tell Dr. Johnson I was smarting. I had been sitting there, worried needlessly that I may have been uncooperative too. Actually, the dentist and her assistant were amazed at the tooth’s “willingness” on removal since its roots were curvy.
The decay is at least 3mm deep
Dr. Johnson let me keep the tooth because I wanted to post it here as a warning for my friends’ children. This is what could, may or will happen to your teeth if you don’t brush regularly (only mornings for me), drink too much Dr. Pepper (I had scaled back several years ago, too late though), consume too much sugar (guilty, guilty, guilty, I’m an American) and don’t floss (guilty again). I used Photoshop to alter the color of the decayed area (gray) to show the extent of the damage since the natural reddish hue hid the seriousness of my tooth’s problem. Now I’m growing accustomed to the gap in my jaw where it used to be. The dentist is optimistic my wisdom tooth may push itself into the vacancy. I am relieved over the tooth in front of the molar showing no immediate signs of rot.
I return to the dentist in three weeks to see how well the gap healed, then a plan to tackle the other cavities discovered in the examination. Meanwhile, I’m learning to enjoy diet soda, sugar-free gum and (until further notice) pudding for dinner.