Prostawhat? Prosthodontics.

August 25th, 2009

Dental Surgery is hell. I’ve had maybe 10 or so, maybe more since I was 16. I turn 18 in less than a month. With my lucky composition, I’ve been blessed with a one-two punch of pain. I suffer from Amelogenesis Imperfecta. Basically a birth defect that causes the enamel (Amelo) to develop (genesis) wrong (imperfecta) leading to hyper calcified teeth. Teeth are chalky in places, spongy in others, they are falling apart. These dental surgeries mean to fix it all by crowning all my teeth with veneers. Easier said than done. First off for anyone, it cost $10,000 dollars out of pocket. Secondly for me, I have hyper sensitive teeth. Fun! Then I get another sweet piece, I’m extremely tolerant to anesthetic. For Instance: they have to give me 3 shots every 15-20 minutes (6 for both sides of the face), so 3-6 shots, every 15-20 mins, for 3.5 to 5 hours. So anywhere between 42 and 90 shots an appointment. That is only to get NUMB. It the most physically hellish thing I know. It can be psychologically numbing going into it, because no matter how you look at it, with my condition, it’s torture. Truly a white smile cost me blood, sweat, and tears. As well as part of my college tuition… but I digress. Like all painful things, I’ve gone through, I wouldn’t change them. I feel stronger and better for going through it, even when I’m still in them. Pain is a motivator.