Without a shade of warning,

worked loose the other day,

a non-convenient moment

old crown refused to stay

in place where it belonged

screwed tight into my gum.

The prospect of dental work

made me rather glum.

~~~~

Thought super glue and poly-grip

may just have done the trick,

but after many failed attempts

the crown refused to stick.

And so with great reluctance

appointment I did make

with Fritz, my German dentist,

and time-out I did take.

~~~~

He took one look & shook his head

“There’s nothing I can do

With this old crown, as you can see,

the threads gone on the screw.

A new crown must be fitted

Will take a month or two

I’ll patch up this one temporarily

And hope you make it through.”

~~~~

An hour in his surgery passed

’twas measured & prepared.

For me it was an ordeal

of drills & such I’m scared

But finally all the work is done,

new gleaming crown in socket

And now the only pain I feel

is the large hole in my pocket.