Bonding with the Dentist

My View Most of Yesterday Afternoon

So, lucky me, I was able to spend an hour and a half in the dentist chair yesterday and learn about a new (for me) dental procedure.  I wrote yesterday that I discovered that a fairly large piece of one of my teeth seemed to be missing.  I called my dentist’s office and they were able to get me in that afternoon.  My dentist’s office is about 45 minutes from where I work so I lost a good chunk of the work day in addition to that piece of tooth.

It was a great day to escape from work but I don’t think leaving for a dentist appointment would be at the top of activities chosen to escape to.  Bucking all trends and past experience I was immediately shown into the treatment room and seen by the dentist.  She confirmed the loss of dental material and said the best way to treat this was through a “bond” and acted like I should know what that meant – so I played along.

She put the Novocain in and left me while this took effect, about 15 minutes worth.  Since there was nothing else to do I promptly fell asleep, apparently I was a lot calmer than I felt.  I awoke to both the dentist and her assistant preparing an impressive amount of material behind me, just out of line of sight. (I think they do that on purpose) They both went to work and I felt kind of like a third party to the proceedings.  It’s not every day I have two fairly attractive women hovering over me but since they were virtually ignoring my presence – everything felt normal.  They even stuck some kind of laser light into my mouth a couple of times which was mildly confusing.

When I got home my wife asked me what they had done and I said, authoritatively, they bonded the missing piece.  She asked me what that meant and seemed horrified that I hadn’t gotten more details.  She shook her head in disgust and left to make arroz con pollo with some of her Panamanian friends.  Buddy was a lot more sympathetic so I took him out for a walk on the glorious autumn afternoon.  I then checked out the internet to find out what dental bonding was (to be prepared for subsequent questioning):

Dental bonding is a procedure in which a tooth-colored resin material is applied and hardened with a special light (my mysterious laser), which ultimately "bonds" the material to the tooth.  The surface of the tooth will be roughened and a conditioning liquid applied. The tooth-colored, putty-like resin is then applied, molded, and smoothed to the desired shape. An ultraviolet light or laser is then used to harden the material. After the material is hardened, the dentist will further trim and shape it, and polish it to match the sheen of the rest of the tooth surface.  Because bonding material can chip, it is important to avoid such habits as biting fingernails; chewing on pens, ice, or other hard food objects; or using your bonded teeth as an opener. (ruh roh – my incessant popcorn eating could be at risk, not to mention back up bottle opening procedures!) – Sometimes it’s better just not knowing.

I also moved all of the dying plants from the back deck to the front porch because we’re getting our first frost this weekend.  This was something my wife had requested earlier in the week and I had given vague assurances I would get it done. Since apparently I needed to make a comeback after my lack of dental inquisitiveness I moved the plants while Buddy enthusiastically protected me from the front yard squirrels.  We were also serenaded by a very vocal coyote who was just beyond the wood line out back.  Buddy was interested but not looking to fight above his weight so he stuck with me. 

The best part of the day was a long phone conversation with my favorite daughter about impending cinema issues, viewings, and life in general.  She really is the only person in the world I can have long phone conversations with.  Other than her – I am severely phone challenged, something friends and family remind me of, regularly.  Luckily, my wife more than compensates for my telephonic shortcomings, being something of a telephonic savant.

We’re taking a trip up north tonight (hence the frantic arroz dish) to spend the weekend with the northern chapter of the Latin Mafia in upstate Maine.  Since the boss has also called for a First Friday this afternoon my wife will be making most of the drive – should be terrifying (whoops – I mean interesting).  I’m not sure they even have computers this far north so I may not blog again until late Sunday – an unexpected gift to all loyal readers.

Buddy on the Prowl Yesterday

Front Yard View Yesterday