A Dentist once told me I have a Big Mouth. He wasn’t talking about anything I said. My wisdom teeth, the ones he called 21 year molars, were just coming in. There was plenty of room for them. Some people have problems with them and must have them extracted soon after they arrive. Not Me. Mine were useful for years. Only recently did I have a problem.
The first one to make trouble was the one on my lower right side. The gums beneath it got infected and I was suffering a little. The dentist identified the problem, gave me an anti-pain injection, and removed the offending tooth. Nothing else was needed. About a year later the tooth on the upper right side began to drop. There was no longer another tooth to oppose it, so it was slowly moving into the empty space. The dentist observed, correctly,that it really wasn’t serving any purpose without a partner tooth against which to grind. So that tooth, also, was removed.
The pair on the left side continued to function normally. That is, until just before the COVID crisis. At that time the lower tooth began to wobble. The dentist said it was shame to remove it while it was still functional, so it wobbled a bit, but stayed in place. After a few more months the slight jiggling became much more pronounced. Chewing on my left side became painful. But the pandemic was scarier. My wife categorically refused to allow me to make a dental appointment. The virus travels as an aerosol and dental clinics are filled with potential vectors that could infect you. Our dentist always had very stringent health safety rules, but even he began sterilizing ALL his instruments in sets in order to provide each patient with a guaranteed safe environment.
This week my wife finally gave in. I made an appointment and after a brief stay in the patients chair I emerged with a new vacant space in my mouth, and a dull ache that disappeared after a single day. The upper tooth is still in place. As long as it isn’t causing me any discomfort it will retain it’s station, even though it no longer has a partner.
Wetherhorn 