Washington's dentures Sometimes my teeth ache.
But that doesn't mean I'm going to call a dentist. I even have dental insurance, and I thank god for it, but . . . . .I have Dorian Gray's teeth. My husband has suffered through root canals, crowns, fillings, and more awful stuff over the years. Even with insurance, we've paid out the cost of a car--on one mouth.
nice teeth, huh?At the point where I was starting to doubt that I wanted to keep spending like this, the American Dental Association or some other terrorist organization announced that healthy teeth helped you live longer.
Apparently, like my ancient cat that got kidney disease from swallowing bacteria from her bad teetht, humans get bacteria in their hearts from swallowing whatever germ causes gingivitis. This infection leads to heart attacks in otherwise healthy individuals.
None of which makes medical insurance cover dental procedures as preventative medicine.
The kooks are still out thereWhen I was a kid, my mother sent me to the dentist regularly. I even had the gap between my front teeth fixed when I was about six. I liked our dentist and his wife/receptionist/assistant was sweet.
When I was ten, he had a nervous breakdown. But we went to see him when he got back to work. He seemed the same.
My fear of dentists came on as an adult.
It wasn't that movie with Dustin Hoffman.
It wasn't the fact that dentists have a high rate of drug addiction and mental illness.
It wasn't the fact that I find a day without hands in my face a pleasanter day than it woud be otherwise.
Some of it has been watching my husband stagger home from his countless sessions with the dentist, clutching a script for pain pills. It's been pure dumb luck--combined with a case of denial that should get me into psychology textbooks.
St. Appollonia, patron saint of dentists and toothaches, with her emblem: plyers.
When I was in college, my roommate recommended her dentist. "He's real good. He's done so much in my mouth!" she said.
I went for a check up. He was yelling at one of his workers for fifteen minutes before he came in to look at my teeth. The X-rays showed two cavities. The hygienist then scraped my teeth for thirty minutes, scolding me as she went.
I never showed up for the filling appointment.
The only good thing that came from that was that adventure was that I brush my teeth regularly--so I'd never have to see a dentist again.
Once seen only on Crest. Six years later, I finally visited another dentist, who specialized in treating the scared patient, and he didn't see any cavities. In the same mouth.
Oh, eventually, I broke down and had a crown made for a tooth that had two fillings that was about to drive my dentist crazy. It took four years for him to talk me into the crown. It had only been thirty years since my last filling. See the whole Mouth of Dorian Gray thing?
Instead of gas, Dr. S. uses valium, Xanax, and Novocaine. On Xanax, I decided it would be ok to die in the chair. Which I half expected to do.
Once that crown was in, I haven't been back since. This blog is not approved by the American Dental Association.
I wish! My lovely brother-in-law fell in with the mercury fillings nuts. Some sort of dentist (HIGHLY recommended by the mercury fillings nuts) took all his fillings out in 2 days. Mike, a cancer survivor, is now desperately ill. I don't think that the mercury fillings would have killed him in twenty years. I'm sure that the shock of having that much work done in his mouth decimated his immune responses. I'm praying for his full recovery. He has two lovely, sweet, nearly-grown children who need him around.
Comments
I bet he did!! Badabing!!!! ;D
"Hey Mr. Dentist, why you unzipping your pants for?" ;D
The next day all that I could think of while his hands were in my mouth was where those hands had been for the last week.
(R)ated for audacity and progressive thought as it relates to modern medicine.
That's the way, uh huh, uh huh, I LIKE it...
Fred--was it around Carnivale??? I think alcohol kills germs.
John--Thanks
Lnnn--There is now a movement in dentistry to do less with cavities--apparently some don't worsen. Also, wisdom teeth do not always need to be pulled. Although I wish I'd had the courage to have them out way back when--by now they are entwined with my cerebral cortex and inspire posts like ths one.
I have also fallen asleep in the middle of a root canal - with minimal anesthesia, i.e. no gas, no xanax, just whatever the Novocaine is without epinephrine. It a sure way to scare a dentist.
I remain bitter at having inherited my father's dental traits rather than my mother's. At 86 she has all her own teeth and few fillings. It's not fair.
Enjoyed ---