Root planing and curettage
Today's the day that my unfortunately middle-aged gums get their first exposure to something called root planing and curettage. My dentist likes to pretty it up by calling it a deep cleaning, but I like to call things what they are. Root planing reminds me of a planing a door and the two things aren't too dissimilar.
However, when you plane a door there's lots of room to maneuver and the door doesn't feel a thing. No so with my mouth.
As I apprehend it; my dentist will shove a flashlight, a modified jack hammer, a bunch of hand tools and a suction tool deep below the gum line of my molars and will scrape their roots until they are returned to a extra youthful, smooth and silky kingdom.
In addition to costing far, far more money than I like to spend on my teeth, it will save me the heartache of tooth loss and dentures. The best part? It's a four-phase procedure and I have three more to look forward to after today. And how's your Tuesday shaping up?