23 October 2008

Update To The Update

OK, so I went in today to get some cavities filled. Guess what? Right, another crown prep instead. And I'm going to have yet another on the 30th.

I know why I'm suddenly having all this trouble with my teeth. Last summer I was put on a medication that dries my mouth out really badly. This condition is called xerostoma, which means "dry mouth". When your mouth is dry, cavity bacteria run rampant all over your mouth, burrowing in wherever they can find enamel. Mostly it's at the gum line, around the outside.

My much-beloved and extremely sympathetic husband, who just had a root canal, has been wonderful support for me. Even Gordo the Collie has helped, by sleeping on my lap when I get home from the dentist's office. No, it's not very practical, because he weighs 45 lb now and is 22 in. at the shoulder, and I've just barely got enough lap to hold him, but it's very comforting.

Gordo's having problems with food allergies and is very itchy. Poor little guy. We got this great leave-in lotion that I spread where he's chewing and it gives him a lot of relief. I'm in the gradual change-over of food sequence, putting him on lamb and rice. We've got a couple more days to go and then he loses his chicken treats, rawhide chewies, pigskin chewies, and other delights. Fortunately, they make lamb and rice dog biscuits, but I suspect he won't be wild about the change. However, if he'll just stop itching, we'll be able to add the treats back in and find out what's safe for him.

1 comment:

Julie said...

Try drinking tea. Make it yourself; the store-bought stuff is full of citric acid and horrible for your teeth. But home made stuff (with Splenda instead of sugar) is full of plant chemicals that kill the bacteria that eat your tooth enamel. Decaf is good, too.