Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Keep on Smiling

After an anchor tooth for a bridge ruptured and associated problems indicated the future of my remaining upper teeth was bleak, my dentist and I decided the best way to go was to do some extractions and equip me with a full upper plate of false choppers.

My plastic teeth are performing rather well only three weeks into our get-acquainted period, but one bit of advice has not worked at all for me. Dental assistants, various internet sites, and product pamphlets all emphasize that the inconveniences of having to rely on false teeth are far outweighed by a big positive--users will bask in the glory of their beautiful new smile!
If I only could.

How wonderful is that? Probably very for many, but it's just a tooth fairy tale for me. I've spent more than 50 years compensating for somewhat crooked teeth stained by excess tobacco and coffee use. The situation was compounded by several dentists years ago who were not skilled with color matches when they installed crowns on a couple of front teeth.

I compensated by training myself always to smile with my mouth closed. Now with a set of perfectly proportioned and color-matched uppers to show off, I find I am unable to change. My acquaintances will just have to continue to settle for a little grin and a twinkle in my eye.

8 comments:

Rummuser said...

Must be frustrating not being able to show off the gleaming new teeth!

Anonymous said...

Go on, flash those choppers, but don't frighten the horses. :-)

PiedType said...

Never underestimate the charm of a small grin and a twinkle in one's eye.

Anonymous said...

Teeth, they are an endless its for some of us. I am sure you will make the adjustment to your new teeth.

Tom said...

I dunno, try it ... maybe an old dog can learn new tricks!

joared said...

I can empathize with the closed mouth smile. I did the same when I was young because my two upper front teeth sported a gap between them ala David Letterman, also, I was surprised to learn, some famous model who was able to disguise that fact when posing for photos. Go ahead! Work at spreading those lips and showing those teeth! You can do it!

Sharon Woods said...

Yeah, I can see how it can be tough to smile when you are rather ashamed of your teeth. I myself am said to have a nice smile, but I don't smile that much. I do believe that it is important to take the best care of your teeth that you can.

Sharon Woods @ Fall Spark Dentistry

Antony said...

I am so glad that you have sorted this out. I accidentally crack my tooth while I was out of the country. There was no decent dentist near me so I had to wait for 2 months to go back and get my tooth fixed. All of my pictures look like I am frowning because I was embarrassed to smile.

Antony @ Implant Dentist Irvine