prostate cancer decision making a lot like trying to save a tooth….use all the arrows in the quiver my friend!

So how is one of my back top left side tooth like prostate cancer decision-making?

• I crack , a small crack, a tooth eating ice about three years ago.
• I ignore the crack and slowly with each successive almond or cube of ice the crack gets bigger.
• The tooth now began to hurt with anything hard forcing me to eat with the right side of my mouth for about two years.
• One weekend I bite down on a something in a hamburger…grizzle maybe… intense pain.
• I go to the dentist…I feel like I felt when I was a Catholic growing up when I missed confession and had to tell how long it had been since I had been to confession to the Priest.
• “That’s a deep crack. We can put a temporary crown on it, but I don’t know John. Not sure we can save that tooth.”
• “Yep, I can see it now. It’s deep. We’ll put this crown on and see if it cools down. It’s hot alright.”
• Two weeks pass. The tooth is tender if I push it laterally with my tongue. Otherwise it doesn’t bother me.”
• I elect to do nothing for about a year.
• I crack the temporary crown on an almond. I knew better.
• I go back to the dentist and get another temporary crown. “John, you really need to address that crack.” It’s too deep for a crown. Go see so and so for an implant.
• I got to a dentist that does implants.
• “We’ll pull that tooth and three months later we’ll put a graft in it and then if that takes we’ll do the implant.”
• “Three months? Three months and no tooth?” I look into the mirror and smile and see if someone could see the dark gap. I can.
• “It’s no big deal. You’ll just look like everybody else in North Georgia,” he says.
• I do nothing. The new temporary is holding.
• I ask every dentist I see as a patient what would they do if my tooth was their tooth.
• “I’d leave it alone until it bothered you. Then probably an implant. I’d let it ride.”

To be continued. Got to get home.