Remember the tooth I was all worried about?
I haven't written about it much since then, but I saw the dentist the morning Jo Ann died (and that was weird, because I had a feeling things weren't right. And they weren't.), and then a week later. So on August 15th, I had a temporary crown put on the tooth I've been blogging about for what, four months?
Last week I had an appointment to have the porcelain crown put on what's left of my tooth. I told the dentist that I was still having some sensitivity, and she took a look.
Guess what?
I'd ground a hole in the temporary crown!
Alrighty then! I don't know if I grind my teeth in my sleep, but I now realize that I clench them pretty much all day, every day. If I had a crown put on now, I'd just end up needing a root canal (which may be the case, but my dentist is being very conservative. I lurve her.).
The verdict? I need a bite guard. Once it's made, I will have to wear it as much as possible for at least a month. In the meantime, I need trigger point massage. As the dentist said, "this isn't feel-good massage." When I clench my teeth, the muscles in my head, neck, and upper back react. And the more those muscles are stressed, the more I clench my teeth.
I had my first massage on Tuesday morning. It didn't hurt, but it did wear me out, both physically and emotionally.
I took this photo after lunch that day, right before I crashed for a 20-minute power nap.

Please click on the photo; there are lots of notes on Flickr that don't show up here. And no, that's not a mole on my arm.
Anyway, ever since my dentist appointment last week, I've been more aware of my jaws, teeth, and tongue. And wow, the stuff I am doing with all of that can't be good.
In a couple of months, we'll know if my tooth needs a root canal before putting the porcelain crown on it.
Either way, I'm okay with it. I feel like I'm being cared for by my dentist*.
*No, Allan is not my dentist.
No, it was the traffic and the blown out stoplights and the other people not knowing how to drive...