So apparently I have won the genetic lottery (not!). This coming monday I have to have my T13 tooth extracted. Yes, that's right, T. That means it is a primary aka baby tooth. I have two teeth that did not have permanent replacements. One of those has lived more than twice its normal exptectancy and recently began to show signs of failure. I'm cutting my losses and getting it done sooner rather than later.

Then what? Do I have a gaping hole in my mouth? Of course not. I am getting a fancy implant tooth, wheee! During my extraction the dentist will fill the jaw bone surface at the area of the extraction with a material called Bio-Oss, it is made of a bovine bone matrix which will my body will eventually replace with its own bone. When you have a primary tooth like I have, the jaw bone kind of divots down where that tooth is, so the surface isn't even. To have a successful implant, the surface must be even. It'll take about 6 months for my body to complete the bone replacement with a sturdy enough structure to accept the titanium implant bracket.

It's really a very fascinating procedure. I'm not looking forward to having a gap in my teeth for 6 months.. but I figure it will turn out for the best in the long run. I'm trying to pin down my insurance folks to find out exactly how much of this they will cover. Odds are I'll get to spend at least a thousand of my own money on it. Sometime in the next few years I'll need to have the same tooth on the other side of my mouth done too. The timing couldn't be better. Hopefully I'll be finished with grad school by then.