Two back teeth out July 15th ...

[Lance]

Ah yes, while you all were enjoying music or outside enjoying the beautiful sun and summer day, yours truly had two wisdom teeth out today. Never was “put out” for this kind of procedure before (closest was the colonoscopy but all this is much more than you need to iknow!). My mouth is, of course, sore and I'm trying not to talk or eat (both very difficult for yours truly to accomplish!). So ... what music is good for having had teeth pulled? Suggestions please.

[jbuck919]

Well, Lance, I had all four of mine taken out at the same time in my early 20s, and under local anesthetic. In fact, the top ones were extracted without even that because, as the dentist explained, the shot would have hurt more than the extraction (the bottom two were impacted, which required surgical removal). I remember having to write a note to the pharmacist explaining why I couldn't talk to him about my pain killer prescription.

If you're a fast healer like me, you won't know the difference in a day or two.

[Lance]

Thank you, John. “Misery loves company” when one goes through this kind of thing. Though I am not "miserable," it's just uncomfortable. So, one takes the time to write about music and/or CDs one is acquiring. It's great fun to listen as one types! The pain seems to be less while the ears fill with great music!

Well, Lance, I had all four of mine taken out at the same time in my early 20s, and under local anesthetic. In fact, the top ones were extracted without even that because, as the dentist explained, the shot would have hurt more than the extraction (the bottom two were impacted, which required surgical removal). I remember having to write a note to the pharmacist explaining why I couldn't talk to him about my pain killer prescription.

If you're a fast healer like me, you won't know the difference in a day or two.

[ContrapunctusIX]

Look at the bright side Lance, at least you didn't need to have a front tooth extracted, as I did 3 weeks ago. A tooth I had a root canal on long ago finally cracked and was causing an infection above the gumline, which meant extraction. I am now relegated to wearing what essentially amounts to a denture for the next 4 months while the area heals. After that, they will be drilling a titanium screw into my skull and capping it with a crown.

The extraction was bad, but not unbearable. From what I understand, the implant is going to be far less comfortable.

So count yourself lucky!

[Wallingford]

Some fit ting music? How aout any solo xylophone piece?

A couple of weeks back, I was packing all into one place my life's work as a cartoonist. When I was a fifth-grader, just starting my interest in the orchestra, I had a copy of Jan Balet's book What Makes An Orchestra, and I decided to write & illustrate my own book on the subject. In my entry on the xylophone, I wrote that its sound "reminds you of teeth falling out."

Hey, how about putting on Disney's first sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie (with Mickey committing some animal abuse for the sake of making music)?

[Wallingford]

Here we go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRbzOm9dqMY

[karlhenning]

So ... what music is good for having had teeth pulled? Suggestions please.

Schumann.

--Couldn't help myself, sorry! ; )

Cheers,
~Karl

[Heck148]

Look at the bright side Lance, at least you didn't need to have a front tooth extracted, as I did 3 weeks ago. A tooth I had a root canal on long ago finally cracked and was causing an infection above the gumline, which meant extraction. I am now relegated to wearing what essentially amounts to a denture for the next 4 months while the area heals. After that, they will be drilling a titanium screw into my skull and capping it with a crown.
The extraction was bad, but not unbearable. From what I understand, the implant is going to be far less comfortable.

Just had the implant/crown procedure completed - the worst is the damage to your wallet!!
next worst is getting the novocaine shots - esp the hard pallet ones....ouch...

the extraction was pretty difficult, but my mouth was numb, so it wasn't too bad....the sounds were something else tho - it sounded like a combination of a coal mining operation and the Gulf oil spill. grinding, crunching, scraping snapping...

anyway, it's done, the implant wasn't too bad...still,I'm glad it's done.

[Ralph]

Been there. You have my sympathy. Feel better fast!

[Lance]

Thanks everyone! I feel better now. Some of you have suffered worse than me. You're right about the worst being the "wallet." I'm not sure how NYC prices are, but here in Binghamton, at the hospital, my out-of-pocket costs were:

$80 first call for doctor to review case/talk, etc.
$635 for two extractions, which includes $275/anesthesia, balance for actual extracting. [This would buy a lot of CDs, eh?] I don't have dental insurance (should have taken that option when I retired from the State University). But even then, the plan doesn't pay that much toward actual costs; health cost coverage, however, is excellent. I must say, I never felt one single thing. I thought I was going to be "out" totally, but I was aware of everything going on, looking at the ceiling, and never felt a thing. In that sense, it was worth it. Some dental pain can be pretty awful from what I hear.

And Karl, thank you for the suggestion to listen to Schumann! I have done just that! It helped enormously, and I've added substantially to my Schumann of late.

Amazing when one thinks that the island of Manhattan was purchased for $24 in trinkets. Does anyone know what the $24 translates to in today's US dollar?

[Chalkperson]

Play Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Black Sabbath, that will cheer you up...

[absinthe]

Ah yes, while you all were enjoying music or outside enjoying the beautiful sun and summer day, yours truly had two wisdom teeth out today. Never was “put out” for this kind of procedure before (closest was the colonoscopy but all this is much more than you need to iknow!). My mouth is, of course, sore and I'm trying not to talk or eat (both very difficult for yours truly to accomplish!). So ... what music is good for having had teeth pulled? Suggestions please.

And to think you might have turned out as a farmer - not much hope now you've got rid of a couple of "achers"!

Consolation is - they can't give trouble now. Might be best to recover these teeth, put them in a dish with sugar and, with glee, watch them ache? !

I reckon the best dental music is some Boulez or one of his mates. That'll give you such pain you won't even notice the teeth coming out.

Otherwise, for after-treatment soothing, try Klemperer's Beethoven 3 then Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

Hope it heals well, anyway.
bests...

[stenka razin]

Lance, I had all four taken out when I was a teen, without the benefits of modern day technology and it was a horrible experience, But, my children had similar extractions in the modern era and experienced minor discomforts. I am sure with current technology you will be fine, my friend. I wish you all the best in your surgery.

[karlhenning]

Play Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Black Sabbath, that will cheer you up...

Sing to those wisdoms, "I can't quit you, babe . . . ."

cheers,
~Karl

[dirkronk]

Lance, buy yourself the best milkshake (whatever flavor you prefer) that you can find and let me know the cost so I can reimburse you.

Reason: When I was about 18, I had my lower wisdom teeth out. They were impacted and growing in sideways, enough so that they were pushing my other lower teeth together and causing them to buckle somewhat. The dentist couldn't extract them "whole" without a far more laborious surgical procedure than my parents could afford, and thus he had to use a chisel to break them up and extract the pieces. I swoll up and sported "Nixon jowls" for a full week--this was the late '60s, you see. I was most assuredly NOT a happy camper and feared that my disfigurement might be permanent. About the only thing that gave me any pleasure during that time were chocolate milkshakes that my mom went out and got for me.

Once my swelling went down and I felt and looked normal, I made a personal vow that if anyone I knew found themselves in a similar fix from wisdom teeth extraction, I'd buy him/her a milkshake. That was about 40 years ago, and I've lost track of how many dozen shakes (and fruit smoothies for the lactose-intolerant) I've bought. Last time was a couple of months ago...daughter of a client.

Anyway, best of luck on a fast recovery. With minimal pain.

Cheers,

Dirk

[maestrob]

Lance:

I'm about to go in for a procedure to replace five (yes, that's FIVE) crowns. In NY, that runs $1400/tooth, but luckily I have coverage.

Good luck with yours: with modern procedures, I'm sure you'll be fine.

For some soothing music, why not try some Ravel (Barque sur l'ocean, Tombeau de Couperin, Introduction & Allegro (for harp trio), etc. Then some early Debussy piano solo music.....

[karlhenning]

Lance:

I'm about to go in for a procedure to replace five (yes, that's FIVE) crowns.

Zowie!

[Wallingford]

I had my first wisdom tooth removed at age 22. Still have another, rear top right plate.

At a younger age, I had the most beautifully kept teeth, with only 2 cavities up to age 40. I guess regular brushing is a ritual one tends less and less to, as I've now had five extracted in as many years.

[josé echenique]

I´ve just remembered a very funny saddist dentist song in the musical version of "Little Shop of Horrors". Steve Martin sings it in the film version.

I think of it often when I go to the dentist.

[Lance]

Here's the famous W. C. Fields one called "The Dentist." It's hilarious. This particular YouTube one is not of high quality, but stick through it. I understand this was suppressed for a long time. Can't imagine why!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su2fXCZ8 ... re=related

[Prometheus]

Lance,

Hope your recovery goes well!

I had all 4 of mine out years ago. It took about 3 days to feel back to normal and the first day after I could barely talk from the numbness.

The numbness in my mouth was so great it lasted for an entire day. When I went to eat soup I couldn't feel any sensation on my mouth and I was accidentally spilling it on myself. I couldn't feel it burning my chin, but did when it landed on my legs!

[Heck148]

Lance:

I'm about to go in for a procedure to replace five (yes, that's FIVE) crowns. In NY, that runs $1400/tooth, but luckily I have coverage.

are the implants still good?? do you just need to replace the crowns??
expensive, but not really an unpleasant experience...the extraction, and implantation were worse...

[Seán]

Sorry to learn of your discomfort Lance, I hipe that you will be feeling better again very soon.

[Wallingford]

Actually, this song from the Beatles' White Album perfectly sums up the misery of dental work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZHsXjSSpDk

[Lance]

Things are much better teeth/gum-wise. I was involved in preparing four of seven pianos for a music festival today. Doing that kept my mind off TEETH, thankfully. The pain has nearly subsided to the point of not needing any ibuprofen though there is still a little soreness. Even the hospital called me today to find out how I was doing! (Now, that is unusal, eh?)

[Chalkperson]

You are now suffering from the pain of healing, rather than from toothache, things can only get better from now on...

[RebLem]

Thanks everyone! I feel better now. Some of you have suffered worse than me. You're right about the worst being the "wallet." I'm not sure how NYC prices are, but here in Binghamton, at the hospital, my out-of-pocket costs were:

$80 first call for doctor to review case/talk, etc.
$635 for two extractions, which includes $275/anesthesia, balance for actual extracting. [This would buy a lot of CDs, eh?] I don't have dental insurance (should have taken that option when I retired from the State University). But even then, the plan doesn't pay that much toward actual costs; health cost coverage, however, is excellent. I must say, I never felt one single thing. I thought I was going to be "out" totally, but I was aware of everything going on, looking at the ceiling, and never felt a thing. In that sense, it was worth it. Some dental pain can be pretty awful from what I hear.

And Karl, thank you for the suggestion to listen to Schumann! I have done just that! It helped enormously, and I've added substantially to my Schumann of late.

Amazing when one thinks that the island of Manhattan was purchased for $24 in trinkets. Does anyone know what the $24 translates to in today's US dollar?

A while back, someone figured out that the Dutch equivalent of $24 at the time, if placed in a good Dutch bank of the period, would now, with prevailing interest rates over the years, be worth more than the island of Manhattan. So, it wasn't all that bad a deal.

I remember when I had my wisdom teeth extracted in the '70's at the University of Chicago Hospital dental department. For post operative pain, they gave me a drug called Talwyn, which didn't work at all and which seemed to me to cause greater pain, though looking back on it, perhaps it was the normal pain following an extraction with no post operative pain killer that I felt. Anyway, lots of folk had bad reactions to Talwyn, and within a year the FDA withdrew its approval of the drug and it was withdrawn from the market.

Anyway, I went back and got a prescription for another drug which worked like a charm; really chilled me out.

As for music, I would choose music that can cause me to go into a reverie if I really concentrate on it, and that can really help distract one from the pain. Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht, Strauss's Metamorphosen, and the Mahler Ninth come to mind as examples.

And, of course, stay away from the peanut brittle for a while. I also find that tapioca and rice pudding with a little cinnamon help.

[Steinway]

Lance.

For some reason, I missed this thread until now.

I never met a dentist I liked and can't stand talking about bad teeth and gums, even somebody else's.

Have you heard Robert Klein's comedy routine on going to the dentist? Hilarious stuff and timeless, as well.

Feel better, pal.

[Lance]

Thanks, Harris. I've made friends with all the dentists I've had over the years. Some have died, but I'm lucky to have had good teeth for the most part except for the back ones, which everyone seems to have problems with eventually. Present-day dentists have been wonderful to me, more caring than the average, I would say.

No, I'm not familiar with Robert Klein's comedy routine. Can you point me to it somehow? Is it on YouTube? And di YOU see that sequence with W. C. Fields? Apparently it was banned some years ago because of the "power of suggestion" therein, and if anybody could make a off-the-cuff suggestion, it was W. C. Fields!

Thanks for your concern. I seem to be getting better. Please tell Pepper I would like the name of an opera that deals with dentistry! (Ho, ho, ho!)

Lance.

For some reason, I missed this thread until now.

I never met a dentist I liked and can't stand talking about bad teeth and gums, even somebody else's.

Have you heard Robert Klein's comedy routine on going to the dentist? Hilarious stuff and timeless, as well.

Feel better, pal.

[arepo]

Might I suggest that the Barber of Seville was also a dentist?
And let us not forget Sweeney Todd, which to some is very much considered an opera despite the sour expression on Sondheim's face when it is deemed so.