Aaron here. I had an interesting week and got some sweet hook-ups, so I thought I'd use my inaugural post to tell you all about it. First of all, some of you may know that I am missing a molar on the upper right side of my mouth (#3) and I need to get either a bridge or a dental implant. I opted for the implant, but they're very expensive and are typically not covered or only partially covered by insurance. Enter my sister Catherine who just happens to work for an oral surgeon, Dr. Terrence McCarthy. He gave me a sweet hook-up on both the extraction of the old, root-canaled tooth (after I cracked it eating Doritos) as well as all of the procedures leading up to and including the placement of the post on which a crown will ultimately be placed. (The crown has to be done by a regular dentist.) Monday of last week I had the first procedure done, which is called a sinus lift. In order for an implant post to successfully be placed in the jawbone, there has to be enough bone to hold it in place. My jawbone was too thin to hold the post so it had to be "beefed up" for lack of a better term--kind of like a bone graft. The procedure went off without a hitch and except for some residual pain and swelling (which was to be expected) I am recovering nicely. Many thanks to Dr. McCarthy, not to mention to his lovely OMSA (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgical Assistant) Catherine Christensen who, because we're family, enabled me to qualify for such a sweet hook-up!
On Wednesday that same week, I headed off to Alhambra to give my final Medical Spanish class of the semester at the USC PA program. Class starts at 8:00, so I left our beautiful new apartment a little before 7:00 to brave the 20 miles or so up the I-5. As I pulled out of our complex onto Brookhurst I went over a Botts Bump (a road reflector) which reverberated throughout the car a little more than usual when I hit it. I immediately suspected a flat. I was right. The driver's side front tire had acquired a nail in the tread, probably from a few days earlier. I pulled into the nearest gas station and put some air in the tire, then drove home to switch cars. The next day I put on the spare and Friday I took the car in to get the tire patched. Many years ago my dad turned me on to this tire shop in Bellflower called G.T. Tire and Wheel where you can buy used tires still in good shape as well as new ones. I have never been disppointed with this place and this time was no exception. They started to patch the tire and went to put it back on the car when the worker pointed to a bulge in the interior sidewall of the tire and said it was ruined. The owner, Chris, came out and looked at it and asked if I could come back the next day because he had to order me a new tire. (I had bought all four tires from him about 6 months prior.) I said I could and asked him how something like that happens. He answered that it sometimes happens in the process of getting the tire on and off the rim and filling it again, and he added that there would be no charge for the replacement. Interestingly enough this has been a common occurrence with this guy. I have had multiple tires patched at G.T. Tire and he never charges me and even flat-out refuses to accept any monetary remuneration whatsoever! I have purchased 2 full sets of tires from him and his prices I have found to be extremely competitive. If you need tires or anything tire related, I highly recommend G.T. Tire & Wheel. It's on Alondra Blvd. just west of Lakewood Blvd. in the city of Bellflower.
On Wednesday that same week, I headed off to Alhambra to give my final Medical Spanish class of the semester at the USC PA program. Class starts at 8:00, so I left our beautiful new apartment a little before 7:00 to brave the 20 miles or so up the I-5. As I pulled out of our complex onto Brookhurst I went over a Botts Bump (a road reflector) which reverberated throughout the car a little more than usual when I hit it. I immediately suspected a flat. I was right. The driver's side front tire had acquired a nail in the tread, probably from a few days earlier. I pulled into the nearest gas station and put some air in the tire, then drove home to switch cars. The next day I put on the spare and Friday I took the car in to get the tire patched. Many years ago my dad turned me on to this tire shop in Bellflower called G.T. Tire and Wheel where you can buy used tires still in good shape as well as new ones. I have never been disppointed with this place and this time was no exception. They started to patch the tire and went to put it back on the car when the worker pointed to a bulge in the interior sidewall of the tire and said it was ruined. The owner, Chris, came out and looked at it and asked if I could come back the next day because he had to order me a new tire. (I had bought all four tires from him about 6 months prior.) I said I could and asked him how something like that happens. He answered that it sometimes happens in the process of getting the tire on and off the rim and filling it again, and he added that there would be no charge for the replacement. Interestingly enough this has been a common occurrence with this guy. I have had multiple tires patched at G.T. Tire and he never charges me and even flat-out refuses to accept any monetary remuneration whatsoever! I have purchased 2 full sets of tires from him and his prices I have found to be extremely competitive. If you need tires or anything tire related, I highly recommend G.T. Tire & Wheel. It's on Alondra Blvd. just west of Lakewood Blvd. in the city of Bellflower.
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