Christine - thanks for the welcome. I probably had this for closer to 9 years but couldn't get my "dental professionals" to take this seriously. In his defense, he may never have been trained in identifying something suspicious, so I was very surprised at my outcome when I finally took control of the situation. After surgery, I was starting to "unhoard" everything I had collected over the years thinking the end was near. The mind can be very powerful working for or against you. I'm glad I got it under control - I would be missing some great stuff!! One day at a time...