here is my smile from last january:

here is my smile from last night:

do you see the difference?! no, probably not. but i do! i have a brand new tooth where, for the last nine or ten months, i’ve had no tooth!

my dentist gave it to me a week and a half ago, a day after my 30^th birthday. it still feels a little weird, but i’m getting used to it. mostly it feels like i have a piece of gum stuck to my teeth or something.

the appointment was quick and painless. my dentist installed my custom abutment (scary photo of my mouth, fyi) and then had to take an x-ray — which is when i took photos of my new crown sitting on the tray next to me, and scary close-up photos of my mouth and face.

then, when it was confirmed that all was sitting okay inside my jaw, they cemented the crown over the abutment. then they handed me a warranty card for the whole thing.

i am still sort of waiting for it to fall off. i’ve only tried chewing gum once since, and it felt the most weird of anything else that i’ve tried eating since i got the tooth. i’m still avoiding apples and other harder fruits and vegetables (though, honestly, i never really went out of my way to eat them before i had a new tooth, either).

i’m planning to get my second (and final) tooth implant (the other corner of my smile) next year, though i still need to contact my insurance rep and all of that adult kinda stuff.

but! thanksgiving. i’m giving thanks for my dentist, oral surgeon, and new tooth. it will be so much more fun to eat the holiday dinner because of them. jason and i are hosting some friends on saturday. i’m very much considering turning into a food blog for the next few days, by the way. i’m so excited to make a bunch of new-to-me recipes!