I Put the Ice Tray Back

Breakfast, interrupted

The toast landed butter-side down, which seemed like enough trouble for one breakfast. Then I took a sip of iced water and one tooth objected so sharply that I put the glass down with both hands.

Naturally, I tried another sip. Apparently I needed a second opinion from the same glass. Nell was on speaker, looking for her own keys. "Maybe stop doing that," she said.

My appointment was already booked. I was tempted to let that count as dealing with it, even though I had never mentioned the cold-water thing. I got the notebook instead. It was underneath yesterday's newspaper, still folded to a crossword I had abandoned.

Something useful to report

Upper left, I wrote. Cold drink. Started this morning. I added how long the feeling seemed to last, without turning breakfast into a series of experiments. The notebook had toast crumbs in its spiral now.

The Ontario Dental Association lists several possible reasons for sensitivity, including worn enamel, receding gums, decay and cracks. It says to tell a dentist about sensitivity. A twinge wasn't enough information for me to decide which explanation belonged to my tooth.^[1]

I called the office, described the new symptom and asked whether it changed the timing of my visit. No diagnosis from the kitchen table. Just the part I could actually observe.

The glass stayed on the table

I put the ice tray back in the freezer and left the glass alone. Then I found my toast had collected a blue thread from the tea towel. Breakfast was still a shambles. At least the appointment note was better.