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billroperI am far too old to be teething.
Nevertheless, a bit before New Year's, something started protruding from my gum where my right rear lower molar used to be. I had that tooth extracted several years ago, because it had cracked to pieces. It shattered into bits as it came out. However, everything healed up nicely.
It turns out that my lower left rear molar had a matching flaw. It came out just before FilkONtario last year, shattering into pieces as it came out. Unfortunately, despite the dentist's best efforts, little bits and pieces of enamel from the dead tooth kept poking up out of the gum and needing to be dislodged over the next month or so as they worked their way out. This is what happens when a tooth dies quite that spectacularly.
Ok, so why is there something sharp and obnoxious poking its way out of my gum on the right side years later?
I poked at it. I prodded at it. It wouldn't move. It did hurt, a bit more each day. Finally, on Thursday, I decided I had had enough of this and called the dentist, figuring he could grab it with an appropriate tool and get the thing out of there.
On Friday, I poked at it with my tongue again and it moved. Thirty seconds later, I had it out of my mouth and was looking at the offending bit of enamel. Apparently, I only needed to threaten it with a trip to the dentist to get it to come out.
It was an obnoxious little thing -- about the size of a large grain of sand, but very, very thin, with razor sharp edges and looking like two capital Ms butted together at the base with the pointy parts sticking out.
Ouch!
But it's gone now...
Nevertheless, a bit before New Year's, something started protruding from my gum where my right rear lower molar used to be. I had that tooth extracted several years ago, because it had cracked to pieces. It shattered into bits as it came out. However, everything healed up nicely.
It turns out that my lower left rear molar had a matching flaw. It came out just before FilkONtario last year, shattering into pieces as it came out. Unfortunately, despite the dentist's best efforts, little bits and pieces of enamel from the dead tooth kept poking up out of the gum and needing to be dislodged over the next month or so as they worked their way out. This is what happens when a tooth dies quite that spectacularly.
Ok, so why is there something sharp and obnoxious poking its way out of my gum on the right side years later?
I poked at it. I prodded at it. It wouldn't move. It did hurt, a bit more each day. Finally, on Thursday, I decided I had had enough of this and called the dentist, figuring he could grab it with an appropriate tool and get the thing out of there.
On Friday, I poked at it with my tongue again and it moved. Thirty seconds later, I had it out of my mouth and was looking at the offending bit of enamel. Apparently, I only needed to threaten it with a trip to the dentist to get it to come out.
It was an obnoxious little thing -- about the size of a large grain of sand, but very, very thin, with razor sharp edges and looking like two capital Ms butted together at the base with the pointy parts sticking out.
Ouch!
But it's gone now...