Goin' to the chapel

Another shot from inside the chapel at the Château de Chambord. I really liked the colors in this scene.

Looking out the chapel windows. Chambord, July 2013.

My dental procedure yesterday couldn't have gone better. Well, it could have, in that the tooth did not want to come out. At first, the doctor was optimistic. He thought he could pull the tooth in one piece. But it was a stubborn little devil. He ended up having to cut it in two. After that it came out fine.

Then the implant went in and the doctor sewed up part of the gum and it was all over. I felt absolutely no pain, just a little pressure during the extraction. After it was done, I got treated to some luminothérapie. Light therapy. Twelve minutes of exposure to bright light (with eye protection, of course) to facilitate the jaw bone's healing. Ken said it sounded like hocus pocus but, if nothing else, it got me to sit still quietly, at least for twelve minutes. It felt like I was out sitting in the sun. No sign of tanning.

So now I'm on a somewhat steady diet of paracétamol (acetaminophen) for a few days. The only thing I feel is a little soreness. I have some eating restrictions for a couple of days, some special mouthwash, and an ultra soft post-op toothbrush for the first few brushings of the extraction site. The implant is capped for now, but the cap will come off on Thursday when I get a temporary crown installed. Then it's a three month wait for the bone to heal before the permanent crown goes in.

All in all, it was a very positive experience. I suffered more in anticipation than I did in the dentist's chair.

And, on the humorous side, I asked one of the staff about the "no alcohol" restriction. I wanted to know when I could start drinking wine again. Don't worry, she said, wine isn't "alcohol." Then she yelled across the bustling reception area to the doctor in his office, "he can have wine, right?" The doctor laughed and yelled back "of course! Avec plaisir!" You gotta love France.