I have a dream. A wish. One that most people my age would see as a nightmare, not a dream.
I’m a 30-something young lady, fervently hoping to have the rest of her teeth removed.
Life is funny. I never thought I’d be sitting up at night, crossing my fingers and praying my dental team will say yes to making me a “toothless wonder.” But, there’s only so much dental pain a person can take.
Prednisone, combined with other meds and other health issues, has caused me to lose 10 teeth in a nine-month period. Worse than that, though, is I’ve been only eating soft foods for over a year because my remaining front teeth continue to deteriorate, so I haven’t been able to be fitted for partial dentures.
I don’t have any upper or lower back teeth left. The teeth I do have are constantly breaking, becoming infected and needing all kinds of dental work. Root canals. Nerve removal. Pulp removal. Only to then have that tooth break again. It’s extremely painful and makes my other health issues and pain harder to cope with.
I’ve spent almost every month at the dentist, for over a year. I’m ready for all the pain and infections to be over.
So, I sit here, crossing my fingers and hoping that in a months time, I can flash my toothless, pain-free, gummy smile, before putting in nice-looking, pain-free false teeth!
Life isn’t always what you expect. I certainly never expected this. I feel almost giddy at the thought of having all my teeth gone for good.
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Thinkstock photo via giorgiomtb1.
Lisa Prins is a binge hobbiest who is constantly throwing herself into many different projects. When she is not well enough to do one, she will find another. Music is her main love. She is a classically trained pianist, vocalist, songwriter, composer and ukulele player. She also enjoys writing, drawing, painting, crocheting, pixel bead art, photography, jewelry making, sewing, playing video games, robot building, and a number of other hobbies. Love, compassion, friendship and understanding are most important to her. They are what gives meaning to her life. Lisa was born with a congenital kidney disease called renal tubular acidosis. This combined with asthma, chronic infections, idiopathic angioedema and anaphylaxis have shaped her into a person who is thrilled to experience every bit of life and love, every sunset and every little joy that life has to offer. She lives with her incredible partner, who is, and has been, her love, her best friend, and, at times, her caregiver. She decided to start contributing her writing in the hopes she can help others know they aren’t alone, and help those who aren’t chronically ill better understand the people around them who are.
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