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July 7, 2025: Abandon Hope, all ye who enter here

This is the line that crossed my mind this morning, as I pushed open the door of Meridian Dental. This morning the receptionist called and said that my retainer was ready. I’d waited three months to get this. I previously went to pick it up and it was not the one I was supposed to get.

I have an inflamed gum, where my dental implant is. So when I got the call, I immediately asked for and got an appointment. I didn’t want to go in today and would have preferred to wait a few weeks for this, my second appointment. This is nonsensical because it’s always best to get these kinds of things over with. But I erred on the side of sensical and said yes, I’d be in today at 1:00 p.m.


So there I was. The assistant took the x-ray and for some time I sat there looking at the screen before me. I am not adept at reading x-rays, so I couldn’t tell if there was bone deterioration around the implant. I tried to squelch my fear that there was, but to no avail.

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Gurr came and did a careful exam of the area in question. He said just one word as he was working, this being “draining.” After doing considerable poking and prodding he gave me an assessment.

He said that perhaps the tissue is just inflamed. “Perhaps.” Something else might be going on, in which case he might have to extract one or two of the combined implants, do another bone graft, and then put in a new implant. Or he might go with putting in a bridge. He said he’d do another x-ray in a month and then decide. In the meantime I am to keep the area clean using Chlorohexidine.

As to what is causing the inflammation, Dr. Gurr said he did not know, perhaps a piece of food got lodged in the gum. I didn’t say what I was thinking, which was uh uh. There is no way that this could happen. My gums are like brick walls. So what could the problem be?

I now have another appointment scheduled for August 4. This is where hope enters in. I cannot say that hope is just an illusion, because it is not. Of course I am going to hope that I just have a gum infection.

Now those who have abandoned hope are those who live for the moment and either don’t think about what’s to come or think about it and don’t worry about it.

Me, I am going to fret. I will, when things are going just fine think, but oh, I have this to fret about. The prospect of more dental surgery does not appeal to me.

I do have an indicator, and, of course, will feel better about this whole matter if the gum heals up and it appears as though this is no longer an issue.

Hmm, maybe I should have put off the appointment. Then I’d have had less time to deal with the indecision.

Next: 185. 7/8/25: Forward Ho

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