Missing

As with most writers, there is a reason for my absence - one of those reasons flared up yesterday.  A root canal that was installed in December 2010 failed Saturday night - split this premolar into two pieces.  The long and short is yesterday, when my regular dentist was unable to fully extract the tooth and I ended up driving 1.5 hours south to Roanoke to have it removed (drilled out to be exact), and then drove that same distance home.

It is the first time I've ever cried when at the dentist.  The emotional response while in that chair caught me by surprise; how can a missing tooth bring tears?  This gap is felt when sitting, talking, and most acutely when eating.  Only soft foods at the moment...and no straws.  I tear up now just sharing this with you.

The moral to my story is, be mindful of your teeth and take good care of them.  If you are a soda drinker, stop.  I was a 2 Dew/day for a decade or so and my mouth is evidence of what can go terribly wrong; a perfect tooth one moment, broken the next.

A missing tooth creates a sense of self consciousness, especially when smiling. I somehow feel less whole.

There are other big changes going on, and ones that I cannot yet share (no, we are not moving).  The sharing is coming, though.  So in the meantime, let's just sit on the front porch (oh, which is under renovation, so be mindful of the stripped paint) and enjoy the rain (which does not seem to stop).