Tuesday, December 17, 2024

The Dental Work Diet

As a young child I fell and chipped my front two teeth. The damage wasn't significant enough to do anything, but as a young adult I had porcelain veneers applied. Later, when the veneer needed to be replaced I switched over to crowns.

I've taken good care of my teeth, but age is catching up with them. Recently I noticed that the gum line of the crowned teeth had receded enough that there was an unattractive gap at the top. I figured insurance would call any type of work in that area cosmetic, but my dentist disagreed. 

She took x-rays and sent them off to the insurance company for a predetermination. Several months later I found out the work was considered restorative and would be covered up to the policy limits. New crowns awaited!

Two Fridays ago I had an appointment to have the preliminary work done. I left with a temporary crown. This Friday I have a second appointment to have the permanent crown set in place. As I left the office, the assistant told me not to floss the area or bite into things.

I didn't realize how often I bite into things when I'm eating. Now, instead of chomping down onto food I have to cut or break it up into small pieces before wedging them into the back part of my mouth.

The process is annoying, but there's also an interesting side benefit. At the holiday parties I've attended, instead of a loaded plate of appetizers that I thoughtlessly eat while chatting with friends I've carefully selected items. A Ritz cracker can be broken into four pieces, with each topped with a dab of cheese ball. The result takes longer to prepare and longer to eat. (All the taste, fewer calories.) A Two-Bite brownie, whose name I usually take literally, tastes even better when divided into smaller chunks and savored one at a time. The same with deviled eggs and cocktail meatballs.

However, there are only a couple more days until I can go back to having foods that need to be bitten into... sandwiches, pizza, chicken wings, cookies, and fruit like apples and pears. I can't wait.

Five years ago: White As Snow

24 comments:

  1. That is good news that insurance will cover the dental work.

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    1. If it hadn't I would have been less inclined to have the work done.

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  2. "As a young child I fell and chipped a front tooth. The damage wasn't significant enough to do anything." And I never did. The other tooth finally wore down even with the broken one. 😁

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    1. Either my 'chip' was more obvious than yours or in one sentence you've described the major difference between men and women. 😁

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  3. I've had something similar done, and my dental insurance is denying it! $480 a year of premiums and it's not covering crowns on 2 very split front teeth. I'll need to change dental plans as an individiual. Would you share which company / plan you have? Thanks, Linda in Kansas

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    1. Yikes! I wonder if part of the issue is how the dentist presented the information to the insurance company. We have United Concordia dental, but the group plan is tied to Hubby's former employer.

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  4. As a diet plan, it works very well. I would miss being able to crunch an apple or pear, though.

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    1. I've a walking advertisement for the phrase 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'.

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  5. i liked how you switched to positive side of the picture
    i had done molar filling 8 years ago almost and i feel happy it still works fine
    i hope your wait is over soon
    blessings!

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  6. I'm so glad you are getting your dental work done and paid for. From what my wonderful dentist tells me, as we age our teeth can deteriorate at a faster rate, and if not taken care of, can cause more serious health issues. Over the decades I have had many crowns (and some root canals) and have found the work done now is so much easier and quicker than that of the past. I marvel at how the dental practices have embraced technology. And, I'm very thankful for very good dental insurance, a retirement perk from our district.

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    1. It makes sense that teeth would decline as we age. So many people in my parent's generation ended up with false teeth because dental care was less prevalent then, and dental insurance non-existant.

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  7. I hate getting dental work done. When I had my 4 wisdom teeth surgically removed, the oral surgeon fractured my jaw on accident. That took almost 2 months to heal. I was mad. Good luck on the work.

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    1. OMG! I hope the dentist made some type of monetary compensation for their mistake.

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  8. Excited for you, and yes, this seems like a smart way to limit calories.

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  9. I think the dentist probably meant not to chew with the new temporary crown, but the other side of your mouth would probably be okay. In any event, it's fabulous that you are taking care of yourself. We care about you friend Aloha

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    1. The day after the temporary was put on I forgot and bit into a raw vegetable, which left an indentation. That was all the reminder I've needed.

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  10. Congrats on the new crowns and the patience to take care of them.

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    1. I hadn't thought about the patience aspect! Thanks for pointing it out.

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