OH! The teeth!

It's the time of year when some of my birds remember "The Birds and the bees."
Shasta, seen in the photo above, is checking out her old nest box in which Marty baby was born a few years ago. I still think Shasta and Franchesco have absolutely no idea how they got Marty....it must have been some sort of accidental collision. I am hoping and praying for more Lilac Crowned Amazon babies since one is nice but I want MORE! Besides, I owe one male Lilac Crown baby to the family who gave me Picasso and Missie last year. Gotta repay those bird debts I owe. So go ahead birdies, just let me know whether to play Sinatra or Barry White.

Last night was fun with Patty. However, just before I went to bed I found that a tooth that has been seriously damaged for several years is increasingly so. In fact, this morning the thing broke off under the gum line. I felt a little bit sick to my stomach...not sure if from the physical issue or the distress I have at my dental situation in general.

I had a few phone prayer calls with friends today but mainly stayed in bed. Fortunately for me I am not in pain. I cannot eat on that side of my mouth but I am not experiencing what one would expect with a wide open tooth root. So I can wait until Monday to seek out help.

The challenge is finding a dentist which I can afford (most likely Tijuana, Mexico) that I feel comfortable with doing the surgery required to extract the below the gum disaster here. I had a couple of teeth removed two years ago in Mexico and found it just a bit frightening that all of the dentists were trained in Mexico City and spoke no English. It was also a little bizarre that there is a dinner buffet about 20 feet from the dental office.

I need someone to be there to help me after the anesthesia since I have trouble getting alert after any sort of pain killers or anesthesia. It's several hours by car to get back into the United States...sitting in a long line of cars. Last time I had someone to drive me but I was in so much pain and agony that it was almost unbearable. I would like to avoid that situation again, particularly since my car's A.C. is broken...and it can get really hot in that old car. My idea is to have a friend stay overnight with me at the hotel in which the dental office sits.

I am not sure what the solution to my dental thing will look like. The one broken tooth is just a drop in the bucket compared to the whole mouth thing. I suppose it didn't help that every chance I got as a child I ate candy. In fact, a lot of my adulthood was invested in eating as much candy as humanly possible.

Prayers are welcome for my teeth.
I know I will need some sort of partial denture since the recent break is one of my front bottom teeth. It didn't bother me so much about the back teeth since nobody could see they are missing.

My preference would of course be to go to a proper American dentist and Oral surgeon. However the cost would be about quadruple for all dental services if done locally. What a dilemma!
No...my preference would be to have a third set of teeth grow in overnight.

Also, my friends mostly have jobs and families or other reasons they would not be able to accompany me to the dentist in Mexico. The one friend who may be an option does not actually drive and speaks no Spanish. I do not speak Spanish either.

So...in my anguish, I decide to be grateful. I am grateful that I've had my teeth for all of these years when a birth defect made it look as if I would not have adult teeth at all. I never needed braces...so that's another good thing. I read an online article today about a father in the United States who's wife suffered some sort of horrible infection just after the birth of her 3rd child...and he had to make the heart wrenching decision to have his wife's arms and legs all amputated (along with a good part of her insides) while she lay in a coma. When she awoke from her coma she was glad to be alive so she could finally see the face of her newborn baby and be there for her other kids too.
My dental and financial issues are small potatoes in comparison.

I am grateful I am not in bad mouth pain right now (MIRACLE!).
I am grateful I have the option to head south of the border for help since it isn't a possibility in California due to costs. I am grateful for my anticipated financial miracles that will come from God to pay for all the things I need regarding teeth and associated hired help.

I told a friend the other day that I was afraid I'd used up all of my miracle bail-outs from heaven. She reminded me that God is far more gracious and good than that. He also has solutions to my needs that I have not thought up yet.

GratefulJoy