Beneath the Wraps

  I have always had a low pain threshold.   I have also been a drama queen exaggerating the results of my pain thus I didn’t always get the sympathy that I sought.   On Tuesday I had three teeth extracted from my mouth.   I was certain I would have to have surgery with at least one – being lost in the gum line and have to be removed in pieces.   That is how it was for my mom.   But then again that was over 60 years ago.   Technology has made things so much easier since then.              All three teeth were removed within half an hour.   I thought I would be in the dentist chair for at least two hours – or close to it anyway.   I don’t hurt nearly as much as I had expected.   In fact, it only hurts on one side – mostly in the cheek area on my left side.   In time the pain will go away and I will be back to eating solid foods. But as of right now it’s been mashed potatoes, pudding and Jell-o. ...

I don't care for warm water or hot tea.  I like to gulp.  I can't always gulp.  Right now there is something pressing between my gum and my tooth which causes pain whenever there is cold.   It is about this time last year when my mouth felt a sensitivity to cold.   I thought it was a dental thing at first but then realized it was probably a sinus infection as I could brush my teeth without feeling pain.    A sinus infection. Joy.   It must have been just before Christmas when Richard drove me to the clinic in Roseburg so that I could get a zee pack to make myself feel better.   I think that’s what’s happening now.   Oddly enough it is all on my left side.   My infections have always started with my right.   This may have started in Utah.   Lesson learned.

                I don’t know how many months I have lived with this incredible pain on the bottom right side of my mouth.   I wasn’t even sure which tooth was causing the pain.   The last time I was at the dentist earlier this year, I pointed into my mouth at where I thought it was – somewhere between my wisdom tooth and front teeth.   But when the dentist touched each tooth and moved toward the front, the pain became more severe.   I made an appointment to have my teeth looked at by a dentist I had never been to before (one who is in our insurance network whereas the other is not) not realizing that Monday was a holiday and both Roland and Jenna would be off for Veteran’s Day.           In Salt Lake, Veteran’s Day seemed like just another excuse to take time off, whereas in Oregon, they really go all out to honor those who served our countr...