Viewer Discretion Advised!

Ok, so really...this is pretty funny, but probably a little gross too. I am only posting this so I can get some sympathy and you a good laugh. Ha!

A little background before the pictures...

As some of you probably remember, when I was sophomore in high school, I got bit by a horse. Yes, BIT! I was outside feeding my steer and decided I would walk out to pet the horse which I had never really done before. Well, I guess she thought I was going to feed her too, WRONG! So, as I was petting her, she turned her head and bit me on my face/mouth and knocked me back on my head. Luckily I narrowly missed the cattle panel (for you city folks--metal fence/gate) behind me. All I knew when I got up was that I was bleeding like crazy and crying of course. So, I get into the mirror to look and I realize my front tooth has been knocked out. Seriously, I WAS TOOTHLESS! I had recently gotten my braces off. You can only imagine what a high school girl is thinking! It looked awful! So, my mom called my dad and my brother (both firemen and EMT/Paramedics) and my brother came over and my dad said he would meet us at the ER (he was on duty). Tooth in tow, we got to the ER in Greenville and waited forever and decided to call my oral surgeon and he met us at the ER in Tyler where I had surgery immediately. They put my tooth back in with a metal bar across my front teeth holding it in and sewed my lip up where I had a huge hole from either my tooth or the horses tooth. Anyway...gross!

Then several years later I had to get a root canal and a veneer put on that tooth because it had died. Now, 13 years later, here I am getting more work done on that tooth! That STUPID horse has cost us A LOT OF $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!

So, after going to the dentist in May, he basically told me that my tooth was deteriorating in the gum. GREAT! So, after a few appointments...here is what has happened!

Last Friday, I had to to have that tooth pulled. Because it was deteriorating, it broke when the periodontist pulled it. So, he had to cut my gums and "turn it to dust" to get it out. Again, GROSS! Then, they put in an implant. Basically a screw. They seriously used different sized drill bits to put a hole in my bone and then used a ratchet to put the implant in. YES, a RATCHET! I about died when I saw that. Anyway, until it all heals, I have to wear what is called a "flipper". Basically a retainer top with a lovely tooth on it. It is BEAU-T-FUL! UHG! My precious husband is such a trooper and only makes fun of it a little! ;-) He has a toothless wife! Front one at that! And lucky for Hayden, he gets to see me toothless in the middle of the night! Can you imagine what he is thinking when I am smiling at him in the night! Probably gives him nightmares! HA!

So, here are the pics...hopefully you aren't too grossed out!

I waited a few days to take pictures. It wasn't so good looking on Friday! ;-)



Here is the "flipper". I have to wear it all day (eat with it also) and leave it out at night. It isn't fun to eat with it. Only soft foods for 6-8 weeks. You would think I might lose some weight, but that excuse to eat Blue Bell isn't helping the cause!


How special! It has my name on it and everything!


The finished product...what it looks like when I have it in...


They say it should be 6-8 weeks minimum before I can actually get my permanent tooth in. So, for now, Hayden has a toothless mommy and Jeff has a toothless wife! They are both so proud, I am sure!