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Just heard from my mother that my Aunt M has been diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimers. I don't know what that will be like for her as it sets in, or how long it will take, but it's left me feeling very sad this morning.
However, narcissist that I am, I come to write about my own health instead. When I got my teeth cleaned a few weeks ago, the hygienist noticed a space under one of my molars that hadn't been there before, and the dentist concurred with her that this was probably something called "resorption". They recommended a periodontist, who agreed that's what it was. Apparently the molar itself is hollowing out and causing loss of bone in the jaw as well. They don't know what causes it, but it almost sounds like an autoimmune problem. That molar is where I had serious gum problems last year, so I wonder if it's connected.
Whatever the case, the recommendation is pulling the molar, putting some artificial bone in the gap, sticking a titanium screw in the bone, and then putting a crown on the screw. In other words, an implant. A few years ago they would have done a bridge, but now this is the preferred solution. However, it's very expensive, even with my dental insurance, and I'm trying to game out how to get through this with the least expense, which probably involves waiting to put the crown in until the start of next year. Not sure what that means for the timing of pulling the tooth and then putting the screw in.
None of this makes me very happy. But then I hear the news about my aunt (or I think about Stu still working so hard to recover from his stroke), and I realize my problems are peanuts.
However, narcissist that I am, I come to write about my own health instead. When I got my teeth cleaned a few weeks ago, the hygienist noticed a space under one of my molars that hadn't been there before, and the dentist concurred with her that this was probably something called "resorption". They recommended a periodontist, who agreed that's what it was. Apparently the molar itself is hollowing out and causing loss of bone in the jaw as well. They don't know what causes it, but it almost sounds like an autoimmune problem. That molar is where I had serious gum problems last year, so I wonder if it's connected.
Whatever the case, the recommendation is pulling the molar, putting some artificial bone in the gap, sticking a titanium screw in the bone, and then putting a crown on the screw. In other words, an implant. A few years ago they would have done a bridge, but now this is the preferred solution. However, it's very expensive, even with my dental insurance, and I'm trying to game out how to get through this with the least expense, which probably involves waiting to put the crown in until the start of next year. Not sure what that means for the timing of pulling the tooth and then putting the screw in.
None of this makes me very happy. But then I hear the news about my aunt (or I think about Stu still working so hard to recover from his stroke), and I realize my problems are peanuts.
