COVID-19 also attacks YOUR TEETH, apparently. I've been very lucky with my teeth, I'm 68 and have
Last edited Sun Apr 5, 2020, 03:15 PM - Edit history (1)
only had ONE cavity/filling in my entire life. Probably because, when I was a little kid, I hated going to the dentist and I asked him "what can I do to never come here again?" He laughed and told me, "brush and floss 3 times a day" and that is exactly what I've done ever since. I remember the look on my parents' faces when I demanded dental floss at the grocery store. I was 8 years old.
So...yesterday I had an emergency extraction of a broken tooth, left rear molar, in fact, the only tooth I have with a filling. I had gone to the grocery store early (senior hours) and had picked up a bag of Doritos. When I got home, hungry from no breakfast yet, I decide to have a chip or 2. I put one in my mouth, bit down, and then a rifle shot of pain through my jaw and gum. I though that a sharp corner of the Dorito had pierced my gum or something, but after inspecting it in the mirror, I could see the tooth was cracked in half, I could actually move either half of it, although that hurt like hell.
I couldn't believe it, my teeth have always been a point of private pride for me, I have artificial lenses in both eyes AND a total hip replacement, but I though my teeth were bulletproof.
Luckily my dentist was open on Saturday, for emergencies only. (Right no in Los Angeles county at least, only emergency dental work can be done). They made an instant appointment for me, and 2 hours later I had the extraction, then a freaking bone graft in my jaw, a membrane covering the empty socket and everything sutured up.
So I asked the dentist, how could this happen? How could a Dorito break my tooth? She told me the Dorito didn't do it, but, indirectly, COVID-19 did. She said they have had an unprecedented spike in broken teeth like mine since the pandemic began, people (especially those already prone to it) are intensely clenching their teeth and grinding their teeth due to stress from anxiety over what's happening. She's never seen anything like it.
And I remembered, while sitting in the waiting room for only 10 minutes, the lady at the desk had taken 2 phone calls and I heard only her side of the conversation, but they both went :"When did you break your tooth? You say it was the middle of the night last night?".
My dentist recommended that I buy a Night Guard thing as soon as my mouth heals a bit, and she said it wouldn't be bad if lots of people feeling stressed out bought them too, because people can wind up breaking more than one tooth this way.
So, it's just anecdotal evidence, but I think it shows there are side effects to Covid-19 that we couldn't have imagined before.
Oh and, I've been self quarantined for 12 days, doctor's orders(for 30 days at least), and this was the first time I've had any interaction with people without a mask over my mouth. I can tell you it was scary to have 2 people only inches away from my mouth for 2 hours, I almost felt like*what the hell good was my quarantine*???
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