Who thought I'd need to call on the tooth fairy???

Ok, this is a weird thing...
I came home 2 days ago from running errands. Mom grinned at me and WTF??? She was missing a bottom tooth! WHAT? How the heck did that happen?? She didn't know and neither did I. I thought maybe I was just seeing things but, upon closer inspection, nope, that tooth was history. Now, this was a new one.


So, I called the dentist, and we went in yesterday. Turns out that my mom has silver fillings (note to readers: get any silver fillings replaced with newer fillings - the new fillings actually bond to the teeth where silver doesn't). Anyway, the silver fillings that mom has are older, and they didn't prevent additional decay from the original cavity. So, her tooth actually broke off. There was no pain, no bleeding, no nothing and, if she hadn't smiled at me, I'd still be in la-la land - too bad that was a "good" day...


But, well, I'm not in Kansas anymore so off to the dentist we tottled (one of us tottled, the other rolled). The dentist, Dr. Chan (he's fabulous!) put her on antibiotics until Tuesday when he has to pull the root out, otherwise, it will decay further and cause a lot more problems. She loved him though as he and I have long ago decided on palliative care (treat the issue not the disease) and pulling the tooth will be painless. The other option was a root canal which makes no sense at all for a 94 year old. 


Now, an additional problem is that 4 other teeth are similarly affected. So, we're working on more comprehensive dental care over here (brushing twice a day with a flouride toothpaste) and altering her diet yet again - no hard items. You'd be surprised how hard it is to brush someone else's teeth - go ahead, I dare you, try it.


So,  I'll cut up into bite size pieces anything that could cause problems. Sadly, this means that there's going to be a very limited supply of corn on the cob this summer (probably 1/2 ear once a month). I suppose I could just cut the corn off the cob, which I will do most of the time, but she so enjoys eating a good ear of corn that I can't take that joy away from her. The same with T-bones from steaks. She won't get them nearly as often but what is life without a little risk? And, she's aware of the risk as am I. We're both willing to take it for corn and steaks.


She's doing quite well with this new development though. Last night, I was putting her to bed and tucked her in with my usual "Good night, Sweetheart" when she looked up at me and beamed that smile and said "I'm toothless Gertie!" Don't rush things, Sweetheart...