What is the time? "Tooth-hurty"

What was supposed to happen after my recent root canal was a recovery period, followed by a visit to my dentist to have the temporary filling in my crown drilled out and replaced with a permanent filling. However, when I went back to Dr. Shay things did not go as planned.

Dr. Shay was able to drill out the temporary filling with no problem. But when he began inserting the permanent filling I flinched because of the pain. He paused and said, "You aren't supposed to be feeling anything." He inserted the filling material deeper -- and I came right up off the chair. "Ow!" I exclaimed. "Something is wrong. I've never had this happen before following a root canal," said Dr. Shay.

So it was back to the endodontist for what I thought would be a repeat of the earlier procedure. Fortunately, he decided to reshape the crown slightly to ensure there was no pressure and irritation when biting, and "wait and see" for a couple more weeks. This strategy seems to be paying off, as the swelling and pain is gradually subsiding. So it may simply be that I didn't allow enough recovery time before returning for the permanent filling.

It is a blessing to live in a time where we have such wonderful medical and dental care. In earlier times the options for dealing with the problem I have were undoubtedly very limited and involved a choice between suffering and pulling a tooth. Once infected, even such a "minor" problem could sometimes result in death.

I don't have to worry about infection because of the availability of modern antibiotics. Not only do these medicines help me, but they also help my dog, Tara. Recently I took Tara in to have her teeth cleaned. The vet sent me home with antibiotic pills for Tara as a safeguard to prevent any infection. I don't mind taking antibiotics, but Tara doesn't like hers. Initially I tried to get her to take the pill from my hand, but after tasting it once she refused to do so again. The second time I hid the pill in some bread and she ate it. But the taste must have been apparent, because the next time she ate the bread and spit out the pill. I finally found success by hiding the pill in bread and applying a layer of barbeque sauce, which did the trick.

Tara and I are both on the mend. I hope my next visit to the dentist is a "ful-filling" one.

Cold!

In the Midwest we are tired of the frigid temperatures and bitter cold! Yes, the East coast has received more snow this year and are "enjoying" their own miserable winter similar to what we experienced last year. But I'm tired of the cold.

How cold is it? I'm glad you asked!

It’s colder than …

• a cast iron commode on the shady side of an iceberg.
• a well digger’s backside.
• a mother-in-law’s kiss.
• a banker’s heart.
• the last man’s rear end on a toboggan.
• a polar bear’s toenails.

It's so cold that ...

• we had to chisel the dog off the fire hydrant.
• your shadow freezes to the sidewalk.
• you have to break the smoke off your chimney.
• the lawyers have their hands in their own pockets.
• if the thermometer was an inch longer I’d freeze to death.
• if you suck on an ice cube it just gets bigger.
• I climbed in the refrigerator to warm up.
• Chuck Norris put on a jacket.
• when we milked cows we got ice cream.
• when I turned on the shower I got hail.
• Scotsmen started wearing pants.
• we had to defrost the fireplace before we could start a fire.
• parents encouraged their kids to play with matches.
• I saw an Amish man buying an electric blanket.
• men use Tabasco sauce as aftershave.