Trip to the dentist

I've haven't been travelling for a while.

Since early January I've been aware of a nagging pain in my jaw though it was more bothersome background noise than anything else .

Alas that soon changed.

Ouch.

A trip to the dentist was in order and the results were rather disconcerting.

Over the years of travel I've had my share of issues with my teeth and had three root canals in various parts of the world.

Its seems at least one of them was a botched job ( modern high tech office in Dubai or not).

The low grade  infection from a bad root canal takes some time to spread but spread it does in stealthy and relentless fashion.

 In my case its taken 5 years or so for the damage to make itself known.

The prognosis:

5 teeth to be yanked, 3 implants to be drilled.

I wont go into the cost.

Last Tuesday I had the first 3 pulled and had a bone graft put into my upper jaw..

It took 3 1/2 hours and I  didn't enjoy it one bit.

Good thing my wife was here to take care of me as I was as helpless as a newborn.

As we left, they gave us another prescription to go along with the antibiotics and painkillers I'd been given earlier.

It seems even the battle hardened nurse was taken aback by the the tugging and twisting  I'd just gone through and figured I had a spot of bother in my immediate future.

The new prescription was for Vicodin.

I didn't have a clue.

I took one pill and went on a little trip.

To the moon.

Vicodin isn't something to be trifled with.

Its an addictive opiate.

Ask Mathew Perry or Eminem..

I've got 35 in my medicine cabinet and they"ll stay in the bottle.

I  really haven't had much pain and Ibuprofen seems to do the trick.

Over the next month I'm back on the road and will be in UK, Germany, the Middle East and Brazil.

Hopefully I'll take some interesting pics and come across stuff worth a comment or two.

Till then  stay well!

T