#when that temporary filling fell out of my first root canal

[violet-jessop]

i think that after spending $11,691 on my teeth in the last 18 months, if one of my front teeth falls out then killing myself can't be considered drastic or unreasonable action

[moviesludge]

dentist update (first time in about 3ish years) - would love input on this if you work in the dental field and notice something amiss here. for the most part this office has done great work, but some conflict between them pushing for more work and my insurance not covering it was a big part of why it took me so long to go back

had a cleaning with no numbing, went ok. Just a few sensitive spots that hurt for a fraction of a second

i thought i had an abscess but I don't (yet)(partially exposed nerve)

I need a lot of work. they want to root canal/post/cap like 4 or 5 of my teeth (I definitely have some rough ones but I wonder how necessary R-P-C's are versus like, just getting a root canal and filling). There are a few "just fillings" that I need though.

I have a broken tooth that needs to be pulled

one of the teeth they want to work on is one they already R-P-C'd but after the x-ray, dentist said there is a "lesion" near the root. I have no pain there but he said maybe it didn't heal properly or something. This is suspect to me considering it hasn't been a problem at all, but he did show me the little dark spot on the xray.

after the cleaning, the dentist pulled out a big filling I had that he said looked like it was about to fall out. He barely tugged at it and it fell out. He didn't give me a temp filling or anything. I asked about it and he told me to just keep it clean until they can work on it. (I was trying to chew on the left side of my mouth to keep food out of the place where I thought I had the abscess on the right, and now I have an open tooth on the left too so I might shove some temporary filler in there until my next appt next week).

curiously, they told me that everything would be covered by my insurance except for the cleaning they'll want to do in 6 months, which isn't too pricey. I expressed surprise to this because a bunch of stuff didn't get authorized last time I was there. The lady said something like "don't be surprised, it's always been covered" which concerns me because a lot of stuff wasn't approved last time by the insurance. So maybe I need their definition of "covered" vs "authorized" or something.

I have another appt next week.

The reason I list all this stuff out is to clarify it all in my head and have a record of what happened that I can refer back to when I will inevitably forget. Also I asked for a copy of the dental plan list and the prices, and the lady told me it would be emailed to me. So far no email.

[doakaptan]

code lyoko: a hidden gem of early 2000s cartoons

pov: the year is 2009, every day you come home from school to watch an unidentified cartoon on channel JoJo; only for it to disappear and never come back to tv ever again.

Hello, it is that time of the week again. I will cut the chase for you so- Basically, this semester greatly tired me and in order to go along until the school year ends, I watch shows that evoke nostalgia to get high on the feeling of temporary happiness and dissociate for a while. I am not even addressing the monstrosity that is the midterm, father-son and the holy spirit help a bro out, please. And well, Code Lyoko is exactly that show.

(from left to right: Yumi, Jeremie, Aelita, Ulrich <3 and Odd) (there is also William in later seasons but I don’t claim him)

Originally released in 2003 but, received international release just as it was canceled in 2007, Code Lyoko is a French cartoon that graced everyone’s televisions at least once before it completely disappeared from it. For my experience, I encountered Code Lyoko on a channel called JoJo while I was waiting for Yugioh GX to start.

At first glance, it honestly looked horrifying with how children had comically big foreheads but, the story and the visuals hooked me right in. First of all, I could look past the giant foreheads because the characters were good-looking for my 8-year-old taste and, the background illustrations are still beautiful regardless. Despite being beautiful, the places didn’t change much and we only saw the school, dorms and the forest that was behind it along with the old factory and the word of Lyoko but, the budget for the show was not the biggest so most of the scenes were used and reused again and again throughout the seasons.

I’m not going to lie the visuals were not as pretty as I make them out to be but, I was 8 years old and it was the first time that I ever saw a cartoon that had both 2d and 3d animation.

Also, I fell in love with Ulrich but I’ll get to that. 

No, no I won’t

This is also a call-out post to me because apparently, I love everything that came before the internet and being online 24/7. Just like in How I Met Your Mother, as we are watching the world is introduced to the internet and what being online means so if I were to say that the third season is an inquiry on what the internet is and, how it works, I would not be that far off. 

( Also recently Code Lyoko was added to Netflix so yeah go stream it )

To dive right into the plot: a Japanese, and 3 French(???) middle school students walked into an abandoned factory through a sewage canal and discover a supercomputer that had an artificial world (Lyoko) in it with another artificial intelligence in the name of Aelita trapped in it. By contacting Aelita they alerted an evil system that lived within the Lyoko called X.A.N.A that manipulates and hacks electronic devices through the powers of Lyoko. So as any other logical human being would do they materialized Aelita into the real world and created her a fake identity to make her study with them while they fight against X.A.N.A in both the real world and the artificial one, Lyoko. Then the school principal asks, "Why did you do that?" And the overly intelligent 12-year old that somehow hacked into the national security system and created a fake identity for an artificial intelligence replied, "Well I am a classic nerd that fell in love with an artificial intelligence I had to make her real at some point!".

Yeah... that was not funny.....

Anyways, so this is basically the entire plot of the Code Lyoko brought to you by a walked into a bar joke that did not escalate!

4 friends along with their new materialized friend Aelita try to protect the world against X.A.N.A and whatever it is trying to achieve... Is it ever clear what X.A.N.A desires? I’m not sure. I’m currently rewatching the show and I’m on season 3 but I’m kind of lost on the plot since I only care about what’s going to happen between Ulrich and Yumi...

SO, the kids spent most of their time trying to defend their school, friends, or themselves against X.A.N.A and honestly it looks like a tiring job. They miss important days, quizzes, exams... man... I don’t think they are even attending school... But worry not! Lyoko has a program called "Return to the Past" and when they are successful in defending the world against X.A.N.A in Lyoko, they get to return to the past and not miss whatever that they dropped to reach the abandoned factory. 

I vividly remember wishing, praying, crying myself to sleep to have a computer like that when I was a child. I still do actually. It would be great if I were to spend the whole day beating up various machines in a virtual world then set back the time to retake an exam that I already know the questions of. Ah, a university student can only wish...

Code Lyoko was mostly sloppy in animation due to the budget cuts that had to be made in order for the show the survive but, it made up with the heart and soul it carried. The characters are all fleshed out, just like the locations and you can sense how much thought went into each and every detail the show carried. I don’t know if it's still available on the internet but I would suggest everyone who read until this point to look into the bible of the show. It is one of the greatest bibles I’ve had the pleasure of reading through. 

The show aired in Turkey in 2009 on channel JoJo. The entirety of the first season and a few episodes from the second season were aired but it was pulled from airing shortly after to give Yugioh GX more slots since it entered its final season. One of the reasons was probably because JoJo pulled most of its audience from airing Yugioh. I would not blame them since I discovered Code Lyoko while I was waiting for Yugioh as well. 

After Code Lyoko was pulled off from airing I forgot about it and did not think about it until recently. During our first year, while I was talking Asya’s ear off about an unrelated cartoon, I randomly remembered the theme song of Code Lyoko, and all came back to me. The sweet nostalgia. I also remember making my friends at the table watch a few episodes of it during our lunchbreak. 

I am honestly glad that Code Lyoko was not one of the cartoons that got away from me. Aside from the addicting nostalgia, it gives me, it holds such a special place in my heart that I don’t think any other show can fill (maybe Yugioh GX can fill it but I will have to debate it with myself for a while).

So please, if you have time give this low-budget french cartoon a chance it will not disappoint you.

(also just a warning ulrich and yumi’s pining is one of the slowest of burns I’ve ever witnessed so be careful while rooting for them)

[swampgallows]

felt like mapping out everything wrong with my teeth

top teeth (maxillary):

central incisors: crazing (nothing serious but sensitive) first premolar (left side): a little bitch. gum recession, sensitivity (maybe pits) molars: big-ass fuckin pits, some were fillings that were done so poorly (previous dentist) that they cracked and fell apart. second molars are a nightmare. wisdom teeth: erupted, decay

bottom teeth (manibular aka the danger zone):

left to right, starting in the back:

wisdom tooth: impacted, down into jaw. im supposed to get all four of them out but [draenei voice] eh! details second molar: decay at gumline and between teeth, which i keep tonguing like an idiot. sensitive. a bad sign. also, surface filling on the outside of the tooth first molar: crown, but hurts if i press down on it. gum receding on the backside (possible decay under crown) second premolar: mystery tooth. has a temporary crown because i’ve yet to get the permanent fitted, but still incredibly sensitive. root does not seem to be damaged, but that shit fucking hurts. dunno if i need a root canal, as i’m in nowhere near the amount of debilitating pain I was in when I did need one. first premolar: crown, root canal (though x-rays show there is still a trace of nerve that could cause problems). gutta-percha baby. piece of shit previous dentist set the crown off-balance, in my opinion, and tried to file it down to fit. it’s tilted too far back toward my tongue and bothers me every single second of my life. i know the nerve is dead but i’m still not gonna pry the thing out of my mouth, so much as i wish to. canine: gum receded like a motherfucker. might cause problems but so far so good.

incisors are okay but a bit worn down from bruxism

first premolar: hell tooth. previously had a bonding from my first (pediatric) dentist, but it fell off a few years ago. thought my tooth broke when it happened and have been procrastinating on a crown for a while. thank god i didnt have my previous dentist do it, since she royally fucked up the root canal crown. will need a crown on this tooth asap. sensitive even to the air, but not while brushing. enamel is worn down to all shit. 3 black spots of maybe decay-- one at gumline, two at the seam of where the bonding met the tooth. second premolar: probably some decay/recession at the gumline. black spot. first molar: previously had a bonding or something? that came off. seems to be okay decay-wise, though there might be possible surface decay on top. not as much enamel is missing at it is on other fillings. second molar: bonding that is starting to look a little nasty. man, fuck that previous dentist.  wisdom tooth: impacted. not as gnarly as the left side, but if one goes, they all gotta go.

anyway not sure why i made this except that my teeth are killing me and probably literally killing me and i guess i just wanna have some semblance of a personal record of what kinda dental shape i’m in. i know i have to go back to the dentist, i haven’t practiced driving as much as i should be (i am a bit overwhelmed by the zine, among other things) and i know i will have to ask my mom to drive me if i go because it will be minimum 20 dollars if i take an uber/lyft and my mom has a nasty cold right now.

also im supposed to get the perma crown fitted for mandibular second premolar but if it needs a fucking root canal then i have to go to an endodontist which means more travelling which means my mom will fight with me more which means she will yell and scream at me which deters me from doing fucking anything that requires me to take care of myself via external resources :(

i have to just... drive.............. ugh.............

but ialso just like... damn i dont want two fucking root canals... not unless my tooth is killing me like it was (which it isnt, knock on wood) or it will actually physically kill me. the sensitivity fucking sucks but... i guess if a crown doesn’t alleviate the sensitivity then the problem is at the root. fuck. god i wish i could just grow new teeth. when are they putting that enamel restoration shit on the market

[slightlykylie]

Bad things on this particular day:

-I have suicidal ideation beating at the inside of my skull and I have no solutions other than to distract myself from it with the Internet, which is hit-or-miss and also is not feasible every moment of the day when you have a kid and responsibilities and so on.

-My insurance mandated that we switch to getting our prescriptions through a mail service. The mail service told me they couldn't fill my antidepressant scrip because they thought it would be harmful to me and told me they needed to hear from my doctor. My doctor went on vacation or some other form of not being available without telling me, then responded days later to say the mail service never contacted her and that I needed to straighten it out with them. The mail service then said there had never been a problem in the first place, despite the documentation of the email they had sent, and that they had put a label on my scrip and it would be sent soon. They said they could not expedite the sending of the scrip, despite the two-week delay while there wasn't a problem and despite the fact that I had run out of it in that time, because it was already being processed - i.e., had had a label placed on it.

-I had a dentist appointment last week and they saw decay on a tooth, drilled half of the tooth out, then said I need a root canal, placed a temporary filling, told me not to eat on that side of my mouth until the root canal and then scheduled the root canal for three and a half weeks out. Today the temporary filling they placed fell out of my mouth. I had to cancel a TMS, aka depression treatment, appointment to go back to the dentist to get it fixed. When I got there the assistant first told me that it hadn't fallen out at all and that I had mistaken food for a filling. I told them it was a hard gray chunk of material and was not food, resisting the impulse to tell them that actually I have not been eating shards of concrete and therefore can tell the difference between that and the food I have eaten. She looked harder and realized it had in fact fallen out, then put a new temporary filling in and scolded me about how they knew it was hard but they needed me to not eat on that side of my mouth, which I have. not. been. doing.

-My three-year-old had a major meltdown because he wanted me to read him a specific book but couldn't tell me what it was. He kept pointing at the closet door, behind which there is nothing but clothing, and screaming that he wanted to read that book and eventually started hammering on the closet door and demanding to read it and the door is not a book and there are no books behind the door and what. is. happening. I have literally no idea. Anyway eventually he just started screaming that he wanted Mama (I'm Mommy) but she wasn't home and he was also not in a place where he could hear that. In the middle of all this my diabetic ass had a hypoglycemic episode.

-The house is a complete disaster and I have absolutely zero spoons.

Good things on this particular day:

-My wife has been doing everything humanly possible to take some of the burden off me and to get all this shit straightened out, as well as probably some stuff that's not humanly possible because she's a superhero.

-There was a further mixup with the antidepressant scrip that led to its being called in to our local Walgreens as well, and insurance wouldn't cover that but we have the financial resources to buy 6 pills out-of-pocket so hopefully that'll cover me till the mail pharmacy gets its shit together.

-Netflix still exists? I don't know.

[deniscollins]

One Ohio Town’s Immigration Clash, Down in the Actual Muck

For decades, the farmers in Willard, Ohio have relied on migrant labor from spring to fall, and give them a welcoming party every spring. Seven in 10 field workers nationwide are undocumented, according to estimates by the American Farm Bureau Federation. In Willard, it is probably no different. This year, some complained due to the immigration debate. If you were on the Willard Chamber of Commerce would you: (1) hold the welcome party again or (2) request that the migrants provided documentation that they are here legally and if not, then deport them? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision?

Migrant workers arrive here every spring to work in the “muck,” which is what everybody calls the fertile soil that makes this part of Ohio the perfect place to grow radishes, peppers, cucumbers and leafy greens. The temporary workers can be seen planting, weeding and, later in the season, harvesting crops that will be sold at national supermarket chains.

But there’s trouble in the muck this growing season.

The first sign of discontent came earlier in the year, when the Willard Area Chamber of Commerce was planning a welcome-back party for the migrants, most of whom come from Mexico and other countries farther south. Vendors were to sell food and drink. A soccer tournament, rides and singers were to entertain the crowd. At the chamber’s February meeting, everyone seemed on board.

“Our community is very fortunate we have a group of people who come here every year to work,” Cari McLendon, the chamber president, said. “We all ramp up for the season.”

But after a local newspaper published an article about the event in March, a far less welcoming response emerged, one rooted in the vigorous national debate over illegal immigration that brought President Trump to office. Some Willard residents complained that Hispanic workers did not deserve any special treatment, and that those without papers ought to be met not with open arms, but rather with handcuffs. Daniel Young, a Vietnam War veteran, wrote a letter to the editor of The Norwalk Reflector saying that he and others “are still waiting on our welcome-home party.”

By the April chamber meeting, enthusiasm for the party had waned as the controversy grew and local business leaders feared that it might attract protesters. At May’s meeting, the festival was called off. 

“We were just trying to have a fun community event,” said Ricky Branham, the chamber’s executive director. “It took on a life of its own. It got political.”

Founded in 1874 at the junction of several rail lines, Willard blossomed into a manufacturing base and agricultural hub, even though its population never broke the 7,000 mark. Today, the blue-collar town is home to a maker of snowblowers, a large book printer and a Pepperidge Farm cookie factory. The farming operations grow, pack and deliver fresh produce for consumers across the East and the Midwest.

In the 1890s, an entrepreneur named Henry Johnson realized that Willard’s expansive marsh could produce quality celery, if only it could be drained. He enticed Dutch farmers, who had settled in Michigan, to relocate here.

The first families arrived in 1896. They drained the swamp to reach the fertile earth below, built a canal system and divided up the land. Their celery cultivation gave rise to a community named Celeryville that still exists, though growers have moved on to other crops.

Their descendants — the Wierses, Buurmas and Holthouses — now grow more than three dozen kinds of vegetables sold through Kroger, Meijer, Walmart and other retailers.

For decades, the farmers have relied on migrant labor from spring to fall. Depending on how quickly they work, field workers can earn up to $18 an hour, compared with Ohio’s $8.15 minimum hourly wage. Many return year after year to do the strenuous seasonal work, sometimes in temperatures that soar to 100 degrees. (Local residents largely steer clear.)

Seven in 10 field workers nationwide are undocumented, according to estimates by the American Farm Bureau Federation. In Willard, it is probably no different.

“Without the Hispanic labor force, we wouldn’t be able to grow crops,” said Ben Wiers, a great-grandson of the pioneer Henry Wiers, who bought five acres here in 1896, noting that he considers many workers at Wiers Farms, which cultivates more than 1,000 acres of produce under the Dutch Maid label, to be friends.

But beefed-up border enforcement has slowed the flow of workers who enter the country illegally. Last year, a shortage forced Mr. Wiers and the other growers to leave millions of dollars’ worth of produce in the fields.

This year could be worse. The Trump administration has encouraged local law enforcement across the country to help identify deportable individuals for the federal authorities, making long-distance travel risky for those already in the country without legal status.

“It’s not a hospitable climate,” lamented Mr. Wiers, who joined other farmers in discussing their concerns recently with Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio.

Down the road, another area farmer, Chadd Buurma, said, “I have nothing but positive feelings toward the migrants.”

At the monthly muck growers’ association breakfast, the farmers pray for the safe travel of their workers.

“We pray and hope the workers show up,” Ken Holthouse, a descendant of the Dutch settler Jan Holthuis, said as he looked out across his fields.

About 30 people showed up for a community meeting on May 16 at the Church of God of Prophecy here to learn about the potential impact of immigration enforcement on Willard.

They heard from a panel of clergy members, immigrant advocates, lawyers and Jesus Manuel Lara Lopez, a Mexican national who has lived in Willard since 2001 but is now facing deportation.

“I have four children; I’ve never been in trouble. I’d like to ask for your prayers,” he said in Spanish, which was translated into English. “Sadness fills my heart.”

Listening attentively at round tables were Hispanics and a handful of white residents, including Judy and Dave Smith, who stormed out of the room.

“I’m a compassionate person,” Ms. Smith declared, fuming in the hallway. “I believe people who come here have to come here the right way. It makes me angry when I hear people talking about harboring illegals.”

Growing up poor in Willard, Ms. Smith said, she sometimes faced racial slurs for being Italian. Now she lives on the right side of the tracks, she said, selling used beds, mattresses and clothing, often to “Spanish people.” That doesn’t mean they all belong here, she said.

Her husband said he didn’t like hearing that everyone in the country, legally or not, is protected by the Constitution.

Ask where to find immigrants in Willard, and residents respond “in the muck,” the charcoal-black, organic-rich farmland that abuts the town.

Over the years, many Latin Americans have settled here, working year-round on the farms as well as at nurseries and factories.

Downtown Willard’s main artery, Myrtle Avenue, has enjoyed a renaissance thanks to Taco Rico and other Hispanic-owned businesses.

“We need to make them part of the fabric of Willard,” said City Manager Jim Ludban, who grew up here. He said he had been “100 percent” in favor of throwing a welcome-back party for the seasonal migrants.

As it is, the fear that exists among Willard’s immigrants is palpable and, with apprehensions on the rise, fewer are expected to arrive.

“People used to be care-free. Now they’re afraid to leave their homes,” said Romeo Perez, who arrived here from Mexico 13 years ago to work in agriculture but now runs Romeo’s Bakery, which prepares traditional Mexican sweet bread called pan dulce. As a consequence of that fear, he has seen business drop by 20 percent since January.

Mr. Perez worries that his bakery won’t get a seasonal bump this summer from farm workers, either, because “everyone knows they aren’t coming like they used to.”

Coin-operated laundries, banks, gas stations and other businesses could also lose the typical boom in business that comes with the arrival of the seasonal workers.

“Oh, Lord, we order extra of everything; we double up on people and hours,” said a hopeful Denise Maynard, assistant manager of Save-A-Lot, one of two supermarkets in town. She described buses that disgorge migrants, who push “overheaping cartloads” through the store’s aisles.

Just two days before the first radishes were ready to be pulled up in late May, field workers had hardly started to trickle in.

On the edge of Willard’s fields, three migrants pondered the current state of affairs after a day’s work.

“Everyone’s afraid to come,” said Jorge Ramirez, the only American among the three and the one who had driven the others — from Mexico — up from Florida. “There is too big a risk of getting caught.”

The men had a close call on a road an hour south of Willard.

Asked for identification by a pair of state troopers, the two Mexicans produced their passports. Mr. Ramirez, who presented his license, said that he was accused of human smuggling.

Two hours later, the men were released to their crew supervisor, whom they had reached by phone — but only after a sheriff’s deputy intervened. According to Mr. Ramirez, he arrived and told the others: “You aren’t immigration agents. Who the hell do you think will harvest our crops?”

It has been 16 years since Mr. Lara left his village in Chiapas, Mexico, sneaked across the border and headed to Willard, where he had heard that jobs were plentiful.

He worked the land. He fell in love with Anahi Salinas, a fellow Mexican, and they eventually married and had American-citizen children. He became rooted in the community.

“I was working and raising a family,” Mr. Lara, 38, recalled on the back porch of the beige clapboard house with maroon shutters that he bought a year ago with a $60,000 mortgage.

His sons, Eric, 13; Edwin, 11; and Anuar, 10, played basketball nearby. His daughter, Elsiy, 6, entertained herself by skipping around.

In 2008, Mr. Lara was pulled over on his way to the dentist. Unable to produce a driver’s license, which is not issued to undocumented residents in Ohio, he was jailed. A sheriff’s deputy contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Deportation proceedings followed, culminating in a removal order in 2011.

The government granted Mr. Lara a deportation reprieve because he was otherwise law-abiding, and he was placed under an order of supervision with a work permit, requiring that he check in with ICE annually and renew it.

In January, after the Trump administration announced that no one in the country illegally was exempt from deportation, immigrants like Mr. Lara became vulnerable.

On March 28, when he arrived for his check-in with ICE in Cleveland, officials tethered an electronic tracking monitor to his ankle over objections from his lawyer, who argued that he was no flight risk.

When Mr. Lara raised his trousers to reveal the black, clunky device — he charges it every 12 hours — Elsiy blurted out: “That’s a thing the police put. My Daddy isn’t a criminal!”

His application for a “stay of removal” included several letters of support, including one from an official at a center where he studied English, learned how to operate a forklift and enrolled in a machine workshop. Such efforts were “testimony of his great desire to better himself to be able to thrive in his community,” the letter said, aiming to prove “good moral character.”

In a denial note, an ICE assistant field director, Timothy Ward, wrote, “I have determined that pursuing removal of Mr. Lara Lopez is consistent with enforcement priorities.”

“If this guy is a priority for removal, I don’t know who isn’t,” his lawyer, David Leopold, said in an interview.

The authorities ordered Mr. Lara to report to the ICE office in Cleveland on May 19 with an airline ticket back to Mexico, which he bought at his own expense. On June 5, the agency denied a request by his lawyer that it reconsider removing him. The request included references from an employer, his neighbors and his children’s teachers.

Mr. Lara’s flight is scheduled for July 18.

For the moment, he continues to work the graveyard shift packing Milano cookies and Goldfish crackers at the Pepperidge Farm plant. He also picks up other part-time work.

“I don’t get any help from the government,” he said.

Their next-door neighbor, Jennifer Fidler, called Mr. Lara a role model. “All I ever see him do is work, take care of his children and go to church,” she said. “Why would you get rid of a good person?”