So. It was time to go see the dentist this week for my six-month checkup. The health insurance runs out this week - today as a matter of fact - so I wanted to get that visit in before that happened. Even though I would much rather go to the gynecologist than the dentist. Which is nothing against my dentist who was actually recommended by my BFF (hi Andrea!). And the dental hygienist that USED to be there (Susan) was hilarious and full of stories and my appointment would always take twice as long as it was supposed to because she and I had so much fun chatting and don't you know it's about ten times harder to talk with Mr. Scrapey in your mouth? But I digress. Anyway, so, Susan is no longer at the office. But guess who is - KIM - who I have known from church for years! And she's fun and nice and also chatty and good at what she does with my teeth. But you know what's [one of] the best thing[s] about Kim? She is revolutionizing my dental habits.I seem to have rather cavity prone teeth, which would make you think I would be really diligent about brushing and flossing and rinsing, yes? Alas, no. I mean, I do brush at least twice a day, but I am something of a hit or miss flosser. Except for that one little spot that seems to catch everything. But that's probably more than you wanted to know, isn't it? Well, Kim's no dummy. She can spot a negligent flosser with the best of them. And being the caring friend - and dental professional - that she is, she pointed me in the direction of dental happiness in the form of GUM Softpicks. These little things somehow make the idea of flossing much more palatable (ha! get it?) to me. They come in this little strip of Softpicks. You pull one off and slide it through the space between your teeth at the gumline. You don't slide it up and down your teeth. You just give it a little gentle poke through. How can that make such a difference to me , you ask? I have no idea. But now I can't wait to go Softpick! That means several things in my life:
- it's a smidge pathetic that I'm so excited about dental tools
- my teeth might last me past the age of 38
- popcorn hulls are no longer an issue
- I am no longer consumed with guilt regarding my poor flossing habits
Disclaimer: Kim did not say that this is a substitute for flossing. She simply said that she was going to give me some other strategies for dental care since I was not an every day flosser. Did I mention how tactful she is?
Your story sounds like mine! My problems seemed to have started when I started having kids. I have very cavity prone teeth too - the dentist is always one of my least anticipated appointments of the year and I try to put them off as much as possible. I too brush at least 2x a day but have been an irregular flosser which apparently makes all the difference. I did start flossing regularly this past year and my teeth were much better this time around. So, thanks for this tip. I'm going to have to give them a try because I need all the oral hygiene help I can get.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, from the girl who has 3 cavities filled in Dec with no dental insurance (ouch!).
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