In American culture we often think we're invincible to things that ail less developed nations. We believe that in a place where instant is normal, we'll be able to fix or undo any transgressions later down the road. But what about our teeth? Why can we eat sugar all day long, in our instant coffee, Twinkies, and frosties, but can't seem to spend time to care for our teeth afterward? Because it's not convenient. Or we believe we live in a cavity-free bubble. Well, convenience is certainly not chewing your food with your gums! As I'm constantly thinking about food, I'm also thinking about how it is processed in my body. And the first stop is between those pearly whites!
We all understand that if we don't take care of the teeth, they will become unhealthy. I really, really think we intellectually get that. But with all the products available, it's written off as a pretty small issue. Like...I can eat whatever, and the latest X Brand toothpaste will fix all my food transgressions? Not so much.
And yeah, I want to confess that even I hadn't been to a dentist since at least 2010. In my defense, I have had a LOT going on the past few years, but still! That's a lame excuse! I had 'fired' my last dentist, who wasn't particularly thorough...and his practice bordered on insurance fraud. I, like most people, am nervous about dentists. So instead of blindly picking one out of the phone book, I just didn't go. Geez, that was a mistake! But last fall my boyfriend's son went to a local dentist that his insurance would cover. This was possibly the best thing we could have done for our family. They are incredible! Lucky me, and lucky teeth!
I had 1/2 of my initial consultation completed a couple weeks ago, because it's taking forever to get through all the steps that I have bypassed since my last cleaning/exam. *sigh*. Good times. I'll go back for part 2 next week, but I thought it was important to discuss how this is working in conjunction with healing my life.
I have been diagnosed with gingivitis, which I suspected for a while. Worst case scenario for me, it will cause tooth loss. OK, I'm listening now!! I want to keep my teeth!!! But in some people, who are immunosupressed, diabetic or predisposed to cardiac disease, it can lead to heart attacks or stroke!!!! OK, so this is actually more serious than I thought. Not only are my gums ALWAYS sore, but my breath isn't that great. I have to keep mints in my purse, which I didn't have to do before. I also have receding gums with tooth sensitivity. And cavities...oh-so-many of them! Pssttt... here's the skinny on dentists. They're not all created equal! And the ones that are superior, are worth hunting down.
The initial dental visit I had was phenomenal. The hygienist 'taught' me how to correctly brush and floss. I have never brushed my teeth properly. Ever. We talked about the benefits of electric toothbrushes (in particular Oral B, or Sonicare brands). She took xrays to see if there were cavities between my teeth. She also used a small laser to determine if there were cavities on the surfaces of the teeth! I had never had this done before! Finally, she used one of the dental picks to detemine my level of gum disease, by going around each tooth and giving it a numerical rating for pocket size, bleeding, and redness. I had to limit my time to 1 hour, due to work scheduling, so there was no way we could finish when they were this thorough! Next time they're going to evaluate whether my new brushing/flossing techniques are helping, and have the dentist look at my cavities. It's gonna be several more visits before I get everything taken care of. I just know it. But that's nobody's fault but my own! My days of dental procrastination are over!
The bottom line is dental care, like anything else in our daily lives, is important to think about. It's expensive and painful to fix problems that could have been easily prevented with a little bit of education and daily care. And who doesn't want a full smile of pearly whites? Why this remains such a hassle for people boggles the mind...myself included. A cleaning costs less than $100, even if you don't have insurance. I'm sure most of us spend more on coffee every year than we would on a yearly tooth cleaning! Well, hopefully this will be a fresh start, and I'll be able to repair or reverse all the damage I've already caused. Here's to smiling more!
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