Thursday, March 27, 2008

Chewing Aspirin

She no longer takes care of her teeth. The dentist suggested pulling them all but the irony is that since she used to take such good care of them, the roots are solid. The teeth are decaying and falling out. I can't even look at them. They are black and awful. Every couple weeks, another is missing. I used to sit with her every night and make her brush and soak them in flouride. But I got tired. What is the point really? If she doesn't care, why should I? Did I do it just to make myself more comfortable? To make it not so.. soo.. disgusting????

What amazes me is that teeth fall out and she has no pain. Well, USUALLY no pain. tonight she says it hurts. I have her point to the tooth because I know tomorrow when the pain is gone, so will her memory of it. To my horror, the tooth she points to is the 'canine' and there are no teeth behind it. They are all gone. How the heck did they disappear? Did the dogs eat them? Did she? Geesh....

She asked for aspirin and that's what I gave her. She has never been able to swallow pills and I have cringed all my life as I watched her CHEW aspirin. For the first time, the taste got her and she couldn't do it. It's just another sign to me of her slipping away.

Then she went to bed. Or so I thought. Five minutes later I hear her calling downstairs. Her tooth hurts. Can she have aspirin???

So tomorrow I will make sure she is taken to her dentist. Probably this one will be pulled. Soon her teeth will not be ugly. They will just be a memory.

2 comments:

Squinting2C said...

I just got a call from them at the dentist... they are pulling the tooth. It is infected and the infection can be felt in her gum. Tonight will be a challenge. She won't remember or understand what happened. She won't remember why there is such a sore spot in her mouth. I wonder how I'll take care of this....

Squinting2C said...

She wouldn't let them pull it. She panicked. So know we're going to the oral surgeon on Monday.