Oh, the things we take for granted: walking, breathing, blinking, chewing...
I'm having no problem with the first three at the moment. This week, however, saw the culmination of a three-step dental crowning process. The actual in-office process itself is not overly tough, but time-consuming (three separate one-hour appoitments to get it prepared and fitted), and now I'm trying to get used to this new "tooth" in the back of my mouth.
My front teeth are also crowned (due to a bike accident in ninth grade) but I don't remember spending so much time thinking about my new teeth then. Perhaps I was too engrossed with Ski Club and Choir to notice...
Interesting fact: Dental crowns have been used since the time of the Pharoahs in ancient Egypt. Not the same ones, mind you, but the the process has hardly changed over 3000 years according to my dentist. It just costs more now, probably because of insurance premiums.
It feels like it fits. Not like a new shoe fits, given that the crown is not designed to "break-in" or anything, but it just feels weird chewing on that side of my mouth. I hope it gets better over time, because I'm realizing that I apparently have been chewing on that side of my mouth for a long time. Really, how often do you consciously think about what side of your mouth you use to chew?
Posted by MEK at January 7, 2003 11:24 PM