Crown lengthening

Not a pretty picture.

Last July I broke a corner off one of my molars. Today (we waited for our tax refund) I went to a new dentist (my old one takes no insurance or dental plans) for a cleaning and to see about having a crown put on. He informed me that since my tooth broke below the gum line, I have to have a procedure called crown lengthening. Once home, I decided to look up what "recontouring the gum tissue and sometimes also the underlying bone" actually meant. [The brochure wasn't really all that informative.] I clicked on the link for Wikipedia. My mouth gaped open and I clamped my hand over my eyes. They showed a photo. There was a tooth and an instrument holding back a flap of gum tissue, revealing raw tissue underneath. Just what I needed to see right before lunch. If you'd care to gawk, click on the word Wikipedia above.

Not only do I need such a procedure to fix my tooth, I need to have a filling fixed. My teeth are rather poor quality. I really need to floss, but I don't. I can't stand flossing. I even bought one of those floss tool things, so I don't have to wrap the floss around my fingers. To no avail. We have a love-hate relationship, floss and me. I love to hate it. I need some intervention and accountability. Anyone want to bug me about flossing? I might get cross with you, though.

I hope the kids don't get my genes for teeth. Gary's teeth are perfect.