Bone Graft

Earlier this month I noticed a foul taste in my mouth. It wasn't too long before it began to get worse, eventually becoming a foul smell noticeable to Ulrika. I noticed that, if I were to clench my jaw, a warm sensation would occur around my gold crown. Seconds later the now omnipresent foul taste would swell, in a burst of concentrated flavor. It became apparent that beneath my back molar, an infection was triumphantly raging.

The offending tooth

Fearing the exorbitant fees that dental work nearly always accrues, I postponed seeing a dentist for a few days. Because the smell did not abate (but rather, got worse) I attempted to be seen at the first-come, first-serve King County Public Health Clinic. After waiting for 2 hours, and 3 1/2 hours on consecutive days I decided I could wait no longer.

Embarrassed, I called my father and explained the situation. He quickly exacerbated my chagrin by telling me that I should only feel embarrassed for not having sought his help any earlier.

The very next day I was able to see a terrific dentist, right in my neighborhood. Unfortunately, he was unable to give me any terrific news. The first thing he said, almost immediately upon seeing the x-ray, was, "Unfortunately we won't be able to save this tooth".

Treatment

So I had the tooth extracted yesterday. I'd never been conscious during a procedure like that. At first I didn't think the nitrous oxide they had me on was working. I still felt extremely nervous while they were preparing to extract the tooth. Then I began to wonder about the light they were shining in my face: how much brighter would it be if I wasn't wearing sunglasses? I wonder what color the light would be? What color are the lenses in these things?

So I guess it really was working. I couldn't shake the fear entirely, but I imagine the experience would have been a lot worse without it. Apparently the infection had gotten so bad the doctor had to remove a small piece of bone in order to get all of it out. The now empty hole in my jaw was filled with a paste of granulated cow bone. At least, that's how I understand it.

It's been about 24 hours since the operation. So far, the most uncomfortable thing about the recovery has been the diet. For the next three weeks, I can't eat anything except cold liquids. Right now I'm working on a recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup smoothie. I'll let you know how it is.

The Clown's Crown

Ingmar

Stangers on a Sunny Day

It was such a nice day that these cats were hanging out on the roof of their house, near ours.

Hard Rockin'

Haha, here's a funny picture of our performance at Noise Pop:



Thanks to Kevin Jones for posting these and other pictures on his blog Lemon Session. He also recorded part of the show, which is also available through the link above.