Dental Day
This morning I headed up to Redwood Shores for a 7:10 AM dentist appointment. Fortunately, at that hour, traffic along US-101 is tolerable. Indeed, I actually got their early. The teeth cleaning was routine. My dentist had a look at the grooves on the top of my lower front teeth and said that he recommended that we do something about them. I've had them for a long time because I was grinding my teeth at night. I wear a mouth-guard while sleeping now to prevent further damage, but Dr. Ferrer warned me that the teeth could start chipping and cracking. He'd had a cancellation that morning, and I didn't have any meetings until Noon (and had shifted responsibilities around with a co-worker so he would cover the "east coast" desk this morning), so I agreed.
For this process, my dentist didn't even have to numb the teeth. He ground off a little bit of the grooved area, then built it back up again, and shaped it into place and set it with a bright light tool. You would never know by looking at me that any work had been done. I can feel the smoother teeth, though. With relatively little fuss (and insurance will pay for 60% of it, with my healthcare saving account covering the rest), I was out of there and into traffic so early that the morning commute was still on. No harm, though.
The only drawback of the procedure: He told me to only eat soft foods for the next 24 hours (until tomorrow mid-morning), and while hot drinks might be okay, he recommended against coffee or tea because they could end up staining the material until it has completely set. That means no coffee, tea, or cola for me until tomorrow. Today has been a day of grogginess accordingly. But I'm glad to have the teeth repaired.
For this process, my dentist didn't even have to numb the teeth. He ground off a little bit of the grooved area, then built it back up again, and shaped it into place and set it with a bright light tool. You would never know by looking at me that any work had been done. I can feel the smoother teeth, though. With relatively little fuss (and insurance will pay for 60% of it, with my healthcare saving account covering the rest), I was out of there and into traffic so early that the morning commute was still on. No harm, though.
The only drawback of the procedure: He told me to only eat soft foods for the next 24 hours (until tomorrow mid-morning), and while hot drinks might be okay, he recommended against coffee or tea because they could end up staining the material until it has completely set. That means no coffee, tea, or cola for me until tomorrow. Today has been a day of grogginess accordingly. But I'm glad to have the teeth repaired.