I'm missing my canines on both sides and, also on each side, the tooth behind the canine is missing as well. It's noticable if I smile or open my mouth widely. My remaining teeth look pretty good. I bleached them last year and they have only slightest hint of yellow. Other than the missing teeth, I like my smile.

Yesterday, I went in to the dentist with plans on getting a regular check-up. Just the old scrape away plaque thing, then set up an appointment and finally get a partial plate to fix the gap.

Such things were not meant to be, and i should have known. In September, a tooth on the upper right side started really, really hurting. I thought it was because I was having a root canal on the left side, and as a result I was chewing on the right a bit more. I thought perhaps the greater use of the right side had shifted a tooth.

I went to the dentist in September and he couldn't find anything wrong. He thought that perhaps my prior dentist might have gotten too close to the nerve when filling a cavity over there, and as a result the nerve was slowly dying.

After a while the pain went away. But in December, I noticed a swelling and sensitivity in the gum above the tooth. It had no impact on my ability to chew, so I thought it might be the thing with the nerve.

So yesterday the dentist took another look. It's an abscess. It's been an abscess since September. He got a good x=ray and the top of the root of the tooth is filled with bacteria. The reason it hasn't hurt is because there is a hole in the gum and the puss and dead material have been draining into my mouth.

I've had a fucking abscessed tooth since September. That's four freckin months. Nice smile, white teeth, four months of puss draining into my mouth through a hole in my gum.

Root canal on February 22. Until then, more puss and dead bacteria will continue to drain into my mouth. I can think of it as my own special seasoning. "And would you like puss from Brainsalad's decaying tooth with your linguini this evening?"

Of course this means it will be even longer before I get the partial plate I need. Meanwhile, some other kid related expense, like therapeutic underwater tap dancing, is bound to come up.

And now, dancing hamsters
http://www.webhamster.com/