Went to my dentist, Dr Gary Hale, in El Cerrito Plaza this afternoon. The hygienist, Evy, worked on the cleaning. She noted that the gap between my upper teeth and the gums has widened… evidence of teeth grinding. The doctor then came in (Evy made x-rays), and explained the deterioration… Time for fillings to cushion the teeth, and for a night guard to make sure that I am not continuing to grind.
In fact, I do not grind or grit my teeth during the day. No one wakes up from grinding sounds at night. It could be that I am clenching them while sleeping.
"Are you under stress?" Evy asked.
Well now, is that a good question or what.
Of course I am very disappointed by this development. Until now my teeth have been good. I have never had a filling. But there was evidence of this two years ago and again last summer. It is time to do something if I want to prevent future damage. This according to Dr Hale. That's fine. It is my private mourning process, since fillings and braces and night guards are all so normal.
When I got off the BART in Berkeley to walk back home, I became aware that two store chains have gone bankrupt and closed their doors today in Berkeley (and in all their locations). Payless Shoes (where I have shopped for easy-to-maintain, look-good/cost-little shoes), and Elephant Pharmacy (aka Elephant Pharm, where I shopped for my prescriptions, digital photo work, and any number of travel products). Bankrupt; layoffs… two very good stores that are victims of this economic downturn.
How sad! I wonder what can be next.
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