Monday, June 10, 2013

A Little Long In The Tooth (Literally)

I had a bad day.

Last Wednesday, I bit into something and chipped one of my front teeth.  I made an appointment for the dentist that afternoon, not wanting to wait and make it worse.

My dentist is a lovely young Vietnamese woman.  She fixed me up like new (actually better than new), but she also admonished me that my two front teeth were "worn" and they would continue to chip unless we did something about them.

I was curious about what she recommended because she had at one point tried to steer me toward veneers.  I had been fairly clear that I really had no interest in what she called "a movie star smile".  (To me, the overly white and perfect teeth look like chicklets.)  My dentist again mentioned veneers made of porcelain and assured me she could match my existing natural teeth in color.  This would be a very simple process and would solve my problem of thin and worn front teeth.  I thought about it for a moment and said, "All right!  Let's do it." 

I went in last Friday and she made a mold (ugh) of my teeth and the proceeded to file the teeth down to about half of their normal length.  This required that I get a shot to numb me and I really didn't expect the shot either.  (This was a simple procedure, right?)  When I saw that the teeth were now munchkin sized, I got a little scared but she assured me that she would make me some temporary veneers until the real ones got back from the lab in about 10 days.

There was another mold taking event that included acrylic stuff that hardened too much in my mouth, got stuck,  and had to be chipped out.  By this time, I am not much of a happy camper.  My dentist was sweating and swearing in Vietnamese by this time because the mold goo and acrylic didn't want to come off my teeth.  I was going into full blown panic attack mode.  She tried to reassure me by saying "Oh this is nothing!", but I was far from reassured.  I could visualize the real teeth breaking off completely with the chips of acrylic. 

Finally, she got the stuff off my teeth and she announces she has to make another mold.  I asked her if I couldn't just go with the munchkin teeth for two weeks and she said no.

The two hour process was finally over I thought.  I sat up and she handed me a mirror.  I had two big bunny teeth, about twice as long as my original teeth staring back at me in the mirror!  I started laughing (but it was a bit hysterically).  She asked me if they were too long and I snorted saying "Are you kidding?  Look at these things!".  (I think my laughing scared her a little bit!)  She said, "Yeah, they looked shorter when you were lying down.)  I was sputtering with laughter and thinking I was going to wet my pants.

The dentist filed the teeth down a little and said "How about now?".  I took a look and said "Great!" although they were far from great.  I now had two long chicklet teeth that both slanted slightly to the right.  (My original teeth were not crooked.)  I asked her if the veneers would look better than this and she swore that they would.  I simply couldn't stand one more minute in the dentist's chair so I said they were fine.

I got home and showed Alex and CT.  Both of them said "Oh they look fine!"  What liars those two are!  I looked like Jessica Rabbit or Bugs Bunny.  One or the other. 

I was blurting out my tale of woe about the munchkin teeth and such when Alex made me feel so much better by saying, "It's just like getting plastic surgery.  You just can't go get a new nose and say that you want your old nose back!" 

Now that really helped.

44 comments:

  1. Ouch, ouch, ouch. I bet it was plenty expensive, too. Hope they turn this around quickly so you can post a new photo x

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  2. Ok, that sounds traumatizing! Poor you. I had a dentist who wanted to cap my front teeth too, but in my case it was just to get rid of the gap. He's not my dentist anymore :-)

    I'm sure you're as gorgeous as always, even with the bunny teeth!

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  3. Actually, the teeth should look pretty much the same but just be stronger and less likely to break or chip. (Yeah, it's approximately $1000 per tooth so it had better look fine!)

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  4. I'm just praying they don't pop off as I'm drinking my martini. I would kill anyone who messed with your perfectly beautiful mouth and smile!

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  5. Ah, men always know just what to say...NOT! Hope your veneers are as gorgeous as you!

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  6. Thank you, Sweetie! I just hope I don't have to look like Roger Rabbit for too long. The veneers should look just like my teeth (I hope), but be stronger.

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  7. Oh dear. You lost me at "filed them down to about half their normal size". I started to shudder right then and there! I'm sure the finished product will be very pleasing! Dentistry has sure come a long way!

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  8. Oh, I feel for you, Linda. My dentist is my least favourite person in the world. He's a nice guy and all but I hate going to the dentist. Needles, root canals and other sundry activities on my mouth are not my cup of tea. Hell I hesitate to even go in for a cleaning. Besides, would you go to a dentist with the name (and I kid you not) Dr. Hacking? Oddly enough I've been going to this go for close to 30 years. Call me a masochist.

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  9. Linda, I hope this is just a matter of adjusting to the new look. I would hate to think your veneers aren't what you signed up for.

    I think veneers can be very nice but I swear, the dentists must make a bundle on these as my dentist gave me the exact same speech. I haven't done it yet but I did go get lazer whitening while I am deciding.



    I sure hope this works out for you.

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  10. http://ladyfi.wordpress.comJune 10, 2013 at 11:13 PM

    Oh no - hope the veneers work out better for you! I hate dentists.

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  11. If the new ones don't satisfy you, then tell them that and make them get some different ones. Those things are too expensive not to be fully pleasing. Good luck Linda.

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  12. I wish my teeth could talk to your teeth. I know yours would feel ever so much better knowing they're not alone in the land of dental trauma.


    Have you considered bringing your most brutally honest friend along with you when you get the veneers? S/he will have a more objective perspective than either you or your foolish dentist and won't be shy about telling it like it is.

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  13. Astra, first, I really had no idea I would need a shot, (needles are a deal breaker for me), I had no idea that there would be any "real" change to my original teeth except roughing up the enamel, I expected it would be an in and out 20 minute thing, not two hours. I do expect the veneers will be fine but the whole thing has been much more complex than I was given to expect.

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  14. Cheryl, if it wasn't for the chipped tooth, I was inclined just to let things be. I did realize that my teeth had gotten thin toward the bottom and the chip just reinforced that I needed to do something. The dentist had done the whole spiel months ago about "veneers for the smile line" which would involve about 10 teeth and cost plus or minus $12,000. All of this was in the interest of "cosmetics" and I told her she was smoking crack. I did not want snowy white teeth and I wasn't interested in getting a job as a television weather girl. This is really not a cosmetic procedure. I want the protection for the thinned out teeth but they should look pretty much the same as I opted for the natural color of my existing teeth.

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  15. Fi, I hate dentists too, even nice ones. I do not like people's hands in my mouth. Ever.

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  16. Renee, I'm sure the end product will be fine. It's just all so much more complex than it was presented to me.

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  17. Hey Cheryl! The veneers are only for the two front teeth. They really should be fine. The "temporary veneers" are made of some kind of acrylic and they are never great, just used until the lab gets the real ones back. I really think they should look the same as my natural teeth did, but be stronger.

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  18. You and I are leading parallel lives, My front teeth also have some thinning and the dentist said exactly as yours except she suggested 8 veneers for around 10K. I have gotten as far at the color match but I am not planning on going for 8...maybe 4. I am sure yours will look great.

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  19. I think they will probably be fine when all is said and done. The only thing wrong with these is that they are too long but I couldn't sit in that chair another moment.

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  20. I hate that too, Nancy. If she had told me how complex it is, I would have really thought about it a lot longer.

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  21. I was cringing through your whole story. Oh, how I hate going to the dentist. I can count on one hand the times I went when I was pretty sure I wasn't dying. I hope your veneers turn out beautifully.

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  22. I feel the same way, Jeanie. But I think this will be fine eventually.

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  23. Hey Momma!!

    That's some scary tale. Now I'm going to be looking at all them celebrities and their shiny teeth with much respect and wonder how they would look without veneer.

    Hope the permanent ones look pearl-fect :)

    abandoned forgotten daughter returns

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  24. Missed you a lot Darling! Are you still in the UK?


    I think the "real" veneers will look fine. And then I won't be so prone to chipping my front teeth. Most people in the public venue go in for the "perfect smile" thing and that's fine, but the teeth are usually too perfect to look "right" to me.

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  26. Linda, you wouldn't let your GP do brain surgery and you can't let your regular old dentist do caps or veneers. Get yee to a cosmetic dentistry office post haste. I once let a regular dentist to caps on me and needed root canals in both teeth shortly thereafter. God only knows what as yet unseen damage she could have done. Sorry you had to undergo this. Been there, hated it. Hugs.

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  27. I think it'll be fine Jayne. I've seen people she's done veneers for and the work is perfect. She is a cosmetic dentist.

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  28. Well, okay. But the telling of this story had me worried for you, girlfriend.

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  29. Bunny teeth? That had me chuckling. But oh, how I loathe that dentist's chair. Just sitting there with my mouth gaped open for so long is both exhausting and so un-divalike.

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  30. I hate going to the tooth fairy too, Totsy. It's so undignified.

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  31. "To me, the overly white and perfect teeth look like chicklets." HAAAAAAAA!!! Me too! I swear we're cut from the same (non-tooth) mold.

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  32. Nora, the chicklet teeth are actually laughable to me. I saw some actress at the movies with a close of mouth and I almost exploded with laughter. No real teeth look like those things!

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  33. Heck, I think she is a good dentist. It'll all be fine. I tend to be a drama queen, (you know that!), but all's well that ends well.

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  34. "I had been fairly clear that I really had no interest in what she called "a movie star smile". (To me, the overly white and perfect teeth look like chicklets.) " ---- OMG. I totally agree with that!

    Um - I'm sorry to be laughing - but the way you told this story is REALLY funny. Of course now I will be having nightmares about going to the dentist and coming home with Rabbit Teeth!

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  35. The worst part about my rabbit teeth is that they make me lisp, and they also usually have lipstick on them because of the overbite! Oy vey!

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  36. It's all good now. I got rid of the rabbit look and now I'm perfect. (Okay, maybe not perfect, but not bad either.)

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  37. I just saw your picture on FB! Thank goodness! You look beautiful!! XOXOXO

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  38. Thank you, Sis! I do look a hell of a lot better without those temporary rabbit teeth!

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  39. So are you my little love, but we are markedly better without the rabbit teeth!

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  40. Oh my goodness! You took all of that way better than I would! Bless your heart, little rabbit! xo

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