its been two years since my last cleaning...

So got some recommendations from folks for a new dentist.

I finalized realized I have been putting off going back to the last one. Nice lady dentist but made me feel too guilty for not (and this is what she wanted every brush) - not flossing, using a water pic, using a sonic toothbrush, using a mouth wash when brushing my teeth 3 times day. She also had me on stuff for plaque, antibiotics and some other stuff for dry mouth. Yes - she wanted me to floss, rinse, pic, sonic and apply gel every brush of my teeth. By the time I laid all of the instruments out I felt like I was going on a special top-secret mission instead of the humdrum world of oral hygiene.

My crime - well - that would be the tartar. I have some, well maybe more than the average person. I now clean off some myself my little dental hook like cleaning between tiles, I brush my teeth at least twice a day and floss a few times a week. I even use the rinse in morning to battle it. However I have those kind of teeth that tartar just adore, turns out I have dry mouth, as I sleep with it open (with the sleep apnea its pretty common as your body likes to sleep with mouth open to make sure you breathe...like that's important!) So I have extra tartar buildup. Why they can't just invent a coating like Teflon that goes over your teeth and fights off plaque and tarter is beyond me.. Didn't we put people on the moon and the fig into fig rolls!

Do I have any fillings or cavities, well no.. Do I have need for root canals or loose or damaged teeth, well no. Last time I had anything major done was a broken tooth which broke after eating one of my Mums french fries. (In fairness I do think that tooth might have been predamaged by one of my various falls). Good news it was a baby tooth that hadn't fallen out yet at tender age of 19. Yet the half remaining was still so strongly set in my gums that the trainee dentists of the college of dentists in Ireland couldn't pull out 2nd half of tooth that remained. They actually had their knees on my chest at one point trying to pull out and in the end defeated by the tooth said, well just leave it alone and it will fall out itself. Which it did a year later with a big tooth that finally came down.

Do I have gum disease - yes but even she had to admit its pretty mild, even though I know she wanted to go AHA - here is GUM DISEASE as a reason for me to spend 40 minutes three times a day on cleaning, polishing, flossing and rinsing..

I even bought the sonic brush. I like it but not as much as my regular one. I even bought a water pic and its like water flossing except so so much more messier and I would end up with water all over my front with drool and toothpaste. You know that its not working for you when you have to change clothes before and after brushing your teeth.. I imagined myself with big lobster bibs for just brushing my teeth. So that's another item under bathroom sink that will never be used except to clean grout...

So its time for a new dentist, one who will go, wow you have adult big teeth under those remaining 7 first milk teeth, how old are you? (I do have a bit of pride in still being a toothy freakish of nature...)

One who will say, yes you have teeth that gather tartar like your handbag collects junk but a visit every 6 months should keep it under control. Floss as much as you can and here's some chewing gum to battle that tartar.. And I'll leave with shiny gleaming teeth. (Is it just me or do you you find yourself for the next day after a cleaning running your tongue over the back of the teeth feeling naked after they chipped away all the coral reef tartar hidden in crevices)

So onto a new dentist where I wont have to say.. excuse me Mr/Ms Dentist, it's been three years since my last cleaning feeling like a young catholic schoolkid shamed on how long its been since their last confession.