How Long Has THAT Been There??

Last night I noticed one of my gums was a little tender and maybe slightly swollen. I took extra care to floss around it gently and brushed it as well. All that came of the brushing was some pain and all that came of the flossing was some blood.

This morning it was almost unbearable. I was pretty sure I had an abscess. My lovely cousin Lisafer decides to tell me that her neighbor died of an abscess. I'm not sure that's possible, but either way it kind of freaked me out just a little.

Then, halfway through my tax class, I realize that there is something caught between the two teeth directly underneath the tender gum spot. It felt like it could have been a popcorn kernel, but who knows how long it's been since I ate popcorn (at least a week or two) and figured there isn't any way that it would just now be bothering me if it were a popcorn kernel. I spent the next 4 hours of my life (two classes and a break in between) trying to track down someone with floss and when that effort failed simply trying to dig whatever it was out with my fingernail and a lot of sucking and tongue maneuvering. It was to no avail. The gum was still very tender, and I still had something caught in my tooth!

I just arrived at home and embraced the floss in my bathroom drawer. I slipped the floss in and out popped, you guessed it, a popcorn kernel. That little bugger has been stuck in my gum for who knows how long. I have flossed since the last time I ate popcorn. I know that for a fact. I'm just still amazed that it took this long for it to really start irritating me. I'm just glad it isn't an abscess. My gum is still quite tender, but I do believe we're on the road to recovery.