Day 4

Not much to discuss. Got up, got a run in , shot a quick vblog and chilled. Starting to figure out what the soft foods are here and where to find them. Watched one of the evening shows they put on here, a Beyonce tribute. It was better than I feared it would be. She could carry a tune and they had about 15 backup singer /dancers. More like movers and there was more than a little “sweetener” track happening, but it was fine. I kinda felt for them because the audience was all folks who had been laying in the sun and chasing their kids all day so they weren’t exactly high energy. I’ve got 2 more free days before we go in to get the permanent crowns . I’m not a lay in the sun kinda guy but I’ll make do. 

Day 5

More of the same.

I fear tomorrow will be Groundhogs day again. 

Waiting for Wednesday. That’s when I get the permanent crowns fitted. 

I’m not whining about being at an all inclusive, but this is a family, buffet line gig. And this is also an “older Carnival cruise ship” level property. 

I know. I’m a snob. 

Day 6

Groundhogs day. I got a run in, but the jet lag and diet is totally messing with me. The half marathon I was thinking about jumping into Sunday? My body told me in no uncertain terms that we weren’t really in any condition to get impulsive in 5 days. Of course it was 104 degrees here in Antalya today, so that could have something to do with it. No, I didn’t run during that part of the day, just the 90- ish morning. Aside from that, I’ve stayed in. Read, watched a movie, goofed off online my phone. Left the room for meals. Lunch was uneventful. Dinner? Hmm. Got some pasta and put some shredded chicken on top. Fairly soft, because of the temporary crowns. 

Well. 

Not soft enough. 

A few bites into the meal, one of the upper crowns popped out. First, thank God I didn’t swallow. Recognized what happened, put the crown into my hand, left the table ( and the food, dammit..) and went back to my room, rinsed the crown out & put it back over the tooth. The good thing was, no pain involved. I could tell there’s a sensitivity, but no outright pain. The bad thing is, that’s the last food I’m gonna have til we’re done fitting the permanent crowns tomorrow. The crown is staying there, but I don’t carry dental glue, or whatever it’s called. So it’ll be water until further notice. Probably needed to lose a few lbs anyway. So that’s it. The car picks me up at 8:30 tomorrow and we get the big reveal. 

Can’t wait. On several levels… 

Day 7

After a long night of tossing, turning and worrying about my loose temp crown, I got up ( no breakfast or coffee) and met my ride to the center. Hung around the lobby for about 15 mins til my dentist got there. She apologized profusely for me having to wait. 

Apologized. 

For a 15 minute wait. 

Imagine that.

So, we get settled and she shows me my crowns along with the molds of my original teeth. 

Oh man….

But how will they look in my mouth & more importantly, how will they feel? 

It took about an hour and a half to place them, show me how they looked in my mouth, and cement them in. 

No crap. I am thrilled. 

The shape and the color are what I wanted from the start. White but not too white. Straight but not too straight. The size is right. 

And again, no pain involved. 

To set them, they had to shoot me up again, as they had to get a little physical / drill. But they numb before they shoot, and the shots work. And now, several hours later, with the shots worn off, there’s no pain. Are my gums a little sore? 

Sure. And the doc said that there could be some sensitivity to temperature for a week or two. But I had a Diet Pepsi out of the fridge with my lunch sandwich. No issues. 

I go back tomorrow for my final meeting. We’ll see what we see then. And I know it’s the first day. It’s not a done deal. But it’s a good start.  

Later. 

Went to dinner. What a complete cluster. Wall to wall people, wandering aimlessly between buffet stations. And the staff here is completely unconcerned. 

With anything 

Ever.

This was a good choice because I didn’t need to find food in a country I don’t know in a language I don’t know while dealing with mouth issues. But I really can’t believe that people come here and consider it a vacation. You literally could not pay me…….

I’m still thrilled with my new teeth, btw….:-)

Day 8 

Up early, off to the dental center for one last check up. A few small adjustments, a clean bill of health for the new crowns and I’m out the door. The dentist spoke enough English that we didn’t need an interpreter, which was nice. And she’s a pleasant person aside from being good at what she does. Again, everyone was pleasant, in a businesslike way. This was kind of an emotional thing for me, but I could tell it wasn’t the room for that. I also thought about a pic with the staff or the center itself. But again, things felt “pleasant business” not “friends forever “, so I let it go. So back to the hotel, workout, and chilling. It’s supposed to top out at 104 today and I’m not looking to travel with a major league sunburn so I’ll probably be hanging in the room, finishing the Steven King short story collection and watching a movie on my phone. They only have news channels in English and I can only handle so much of that. 

My airport shuttle comes at 4:30am and it’s 19 hours back to Cincinnati, but I am sincerely looking forward to it. I didn’t really see as much of Türkiye as I should have, but having a mouthful of temporary crowns and 100 degree heat will do that to you. But the gig got done. I’m happy with the work they’ve done. I’m aware it’s only day2 of the new smile, but I can only go by what’s happened so far and that’s been really positive. Just gotta endure the cattle call that is dinner and not sleep through the alarm. 

Talk Later,

Bob