Lifestyles of the poor and nameless

Today's blog is dedicated to dental hygiene. First of all, let me congratulate dentists on their hustle. You go into the dentist for a routine check-up. Not a pain in the world. Next thing you know, they tell you that not only do you have a cavity, but you need a root canal"pronto". Before you have a moment to breathe, you're being poked by a very long needle full of novicaine.

Then everything goes numb.

While you contemplate what would life would be like if the numbness is permanent, and try not to drool on yourself, the dentist is plotting on the rest of your mouth. "Let's see....we got 3 impacted wisdom teeth...when did you have that other wisdom tooth taken out? Looks like there's still a root in there....so next time, we're going to finish up that root canal and get the crown on right? Right. Then we can start working on those wisdom teeth." My mouth must be a dentist's gold mine;they're always finding something that "needs work" in there. Always these multi-step processes. First the root canal, then the follow-up,then the crown. Geez.

As the saying goes: "sometimes the cure is worse than the disease." When it comes to the 6-month cleaning, truer words have never been spoken. Well, since I didn't have insurance for a while, I've missed a couple cleanings. When the hygenist put on the clear, full-face visor, I knew she meant business. That little pick is an evil torture tool...but it did the job :-).

Now that they are squeaky clean, I've become somewhat obsessed with my teeth. I brush at least 3 times a day; don't want to have any colored food/drink. Don't get me started on the Listerine and floss usage. This is not to say that I was a yuck-mouth before....I just wasn't obsessed.

My new research project is orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry. I had braces a long time ago....I have noticed some shifting going on in the dental realm, and I want to get it fixed before I revert to my former buck-toothed self.

Sometimes I think it would just be easier to get a full set of dentures and call it a day. :-/