Crunch Time

This time last year I was having unexpected oral surgery; it delayed my tour departure by five days and my first concert appearance by seven (even then I was unable to play every piece). I spent the first half of tour eating soft foods and weaning myself from painkillers, the last half struggling to feel comfortable with my playing again. A follow-up surgery in July had me back on a liquid diet and off the job sheets after the Band’s trip to San Antonio and TBA. Since then, I have been a frequent flyer down at the WNY Dental.

Early this morning I was once again at the Navy Yard, for my final pre-Tour follow-up appointment. The specialist had been very emphatic that I be seen before departure, so I squeezed in yet another appointment during what is always the busiest week before Tour. When he saw me sitting in the waiting area in the wee hours of the morning, he waved me over and asked, “Are you here to see me?”

Well, yes.

“So why am I seeing you today?”

Because you told me I had to be seen before Tour.

He hurries me in to the treatment room and motions for me to sit. He pokes a gloved hand into my mouth with no caution for my lips and what later needs to be a good embouchure, and he tells me it looks fine and that I didn’t really need to get the x-ray I had been told to get prior to the appointment. You know, the reason I was there before the sun had risen.

There’s nothing like a visit to Dental to add a new level of challenge to a rehearsal.

The good news is when I return from Tour, we’ll be ready for the final step in the process, and by the end of January I should have a tooth to attach to this summer’s implant (which, if his previous predictions are anything to go by, means I’ll have one by Easter).

I am really looking forward to chewing on the left side. It’s been a year.