Crowns, pens, and other things
Jan. 27th, 2016 11:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tbutlerSo now, I have a temporary crown on one tooth, while I wait for the permanent crown to come back from the dental lab. Ow.
Since I got caught by surprise because I hadn't fully prepared and asked questions, I thought I'd la the procedure out for those who might have interest. Also, in hopes of encouraging others to avoid the same fate by taking better care of their teeth! :)
To start with, a crown is a 'cap' that holds the boy of a tooth together, so it doesn't fall out completely and leave a hole. The reasons for needing to do this are varied; in my case, the walls of the tooth were starting to fracture. Possibly the metal filling in the center had taken away too much of the tooth's structural integrity; possibly I hadn't been giving it enough fluoride; probably I was putting too much pressure by clenching or even grinding my teeth. In any case, the tooth wasn't bad enough to require a root canal, but it needed to be reinforced.
To prepare, first the dentist has to prepare the surface of the tooth - essentially using a dental drill to shape and smooth the surface into a neat plug that the crown can cover without any catching or stress. Fortunately, the area was numbed by a topical anesthetic, so I didn't really feel anything at the time; the burning smell was rather disconcerting, though.
Next, the dentist used a gun-shaped device to create a mosaic of the upper and lower jaw in the area of the tooth. This lets the dental lab build a 3D model of that jaw area, and produce a crown that will match the opposing tooth. I gather this part of the process is fairly new. The model gets sent off to produce the permanent crown, which in this case is being CNC milled out of a single piece of zirconium. (The stuff they make imitation diamonds out of.) While the permanent crown is being produced, the dentist puts a temporary crown on; this one you have to be careful of, to make sure it doesn't get pulled off. That's where I am now.
The worst part of the process actually hasn't been the drilling. In order to make the most accurate scan, the dentist put a drying compound along the gum do the saliva wasn't muddying up the tooth; unfortunately, the application scraped up my gum, and it's still somewhat sore and tender.
So. I strongly suggest that you all take better care of your teeth so you don't have to go through this. :) And if you do, it's best to get it done and over with quickly; the stronger the underlying tooth surface, the longer it's likely to last!
--------------
So, on to a happier topic, something I hope the pen enthusiasts can help with:
Anyone recognize this pen, or know where I can find more?
I first found these pens about 15 years ago, as Xmas holiday stock at Office Depot. I bought one, liked it a lot, went by to get another to find them gone; they were only carried during the holiday sales period. I kept an eye out at the Xmas sales period for the next couple of years, and managed to collect 5-6 of them. Attrition has taken its toll (the oddest loss was when one got munged in the conveyor belt of a metal detector, in one of the Federal government buildings in DC; the barrel was bent at about a 15 degree angle. I still have that one, even if it can't be used for writing). Now this is the last one I have left, and I'd like to find more but am not having any luck.
The presentation box it came in is black overall, with half the lid in a bluish-purple shade of plastic; the name on the case is 'Petrona'. I've searched on Google, Amazon, and eBay without finding this model. Anyone have suggestions where to look now? Office Depot hasn't carried them for a decade, and hasn't even carried this kind of 'gift pen' set for years. :(
Since I got caught by surprise because I hadn't fully prepared and asked questions, I thought I'd la the procedure out for those who might have interest. Also, in hopes of encouraging others to avoid the same fate by taking better care of their teeth! :)
To start with, a crown is a 'cap' that holds the boy of a tooth together, so it doesn't fall out completely and leave a hole. The reasons for needing to do this are varied; in my case, the walls of the tooth were starting to fracture. Possibly the metal filling in the center had taken away too much of the tooth's structural integrity; possibly I hadn't been giving it enough fluoride; probably I was putting too much pressure by clenching or even grinding my teeth. In any case, the tooth wasn't bad enough to require a root canal, but it needed to be reinforced.
To prepare, first the dentist has to prepare the surface of the tooth - essentially using a dental drill to shape and smooth the surface into a neat plug that the crown can cover without any catching or stress. Fortunately, the area was numbed by a topical anesthetic, so I didn't really feel anything at the time; the burning smell was rather disconcerting, though.
Next, the dentist used a gun-shaped device to create a mosaic of the upper and lower jaw in the area of the tooth. This lets the dental lab build a 3D model of that jaw area, and produce a crown that will match the opposing tooth. I gather this part of the process is fairly new. The model gets sent off to produce the permanent crown, which in this case is being CNC milled out of a single piece of zirconium. (The stuff they make imitation diamonds out of.) While the permanent crown is being produced, the dentist puts a temporary crown on; this one you have to be careful of, to make sure it doesn't get pulled off. That's where I am now.
The worst part of the process actually hasn't been the drilling. In order to make the most accurate scan, the dentist put a drying compound along the gum do the saliva wasn't muddying up the tooth; unfortunately, the application scraped up my gum, and it's still somewhat sore and tender.
So. I strongly suggest that you all take better care of your teeth so you don't have to go through this. :) And if you do, it's best to get it done and over with quickly; the stronger the underlying tooth surface, the longer it's likely to last!
--------------
So, on to a happier topic, something I hope the pen enthusiasts can help with:
Anyone recognize this pen, or know where I can find more?
I first found these pens about 15 years ago, as Xmas holiday stock at Office Depot. I bought one, liked it a lot, went by to get another to find them gone; they were only carried during the holiday sales period. I kept an eye out at the Xmas sales period for the next couple of years, and managed to collect 5-6 of them. Attrition has taken its toll (the oddest loss was when one got munged in the conveyor belt of a metal detector, in one of the Federal government buildings in DC; the barrel was bent at about a 15 degree angle. I still have that one, even if it can't be used for writing). Now this is the last one I have left, and I'd like to find more but am not having any luck.
The presentation box it came in is black overall, with half the lid in a bluish-purple shade of plastic; the name on the case is 'Petrona'. I've searched on Google, Amazon, and eBay without finding this model. Anyone have suggestions where to look now? Office Depot hasn't carried them for a decade, and hasn't even carried this kind of 'gift pen' set for years. :(
