your temperament's wrong for the priesthood, and teaching would suit you still less

[rikibeth]

The good news: I don't have any cavities.

The bad news: my gums are not in good shape, I have some bone loss, and I grind my teeth a lot. And they strongly recommend a root planing and scaling that isn't covered by my insurance. Yeah maybe after this NEXT year's taxes.

I am fairly pleased with the practice, though. When the hygienist came in, she asked how I was, and I said, "Nervous." I went on to explain that I hadn't been to the dentist in about ten years because of lack of coverage, I knew things were going to be bad, and PLEASE just do the cleaning without a running commentary on how bad things were, and save any recommendations for additional treatment until AFTER all the implements were out of my mouth. Oh, and no lectures about flossing: I don't do it, I know I should, but it hurts like hell even when my gums are in good shape because my teeth are very close together, and I'm open to alternative suggestions like rinses or a Sonicare toothbrush, but flossing is just not going to happen.

She was awesome and listened to everything I said, cleaned things up without lecturing and without causing me too much pain, and even the dentist didn't get all critical on me, just said "this is what you need, this is what it costs, call us when you can."

You know how, when you have an old car, sometimes it's a bad idea to flush out the engine, because the deposits of gunk are kind of what's holding it together, and it'll get rattly if you get rid of them?

Yeah. My mouth feels a little bit like that right now.

But I did the right thing.

Comments

[alchemine.livejournal.com]

I also have trouble flossing because my teeth are so close together. I just bought a Water Pik on my dentist's recommendation--I haven't really gotten the hang of it (water all over the place every time I use it) but I have to admit, I feel super clean.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Good on ya. I know it's scary to go to the dentist after a long hiatus.

If you can spare it, you might want to invest $25 or so in a over-the-counter bite guard to help with the bruxism. The grinding may well be contributing to the gum problems. I have bad TMJ, and even though I wear a custom-molded splint and floss nearly every night, my gums are still receding a bit in areas that take the most pressure from grinding and clenching.

Feh. Why can't we keep growing new teeth like sharks do?

[c1.livejournal.com]

Have you tried Glide floss? I have a problem using regular floss, but Glide does the trick-- it's made of Gore-Tex (teflon) so the fact that my teeth are crammed in tight doesn't matter.

[c1.livejournal.com]

Oh, and...
"There he is, girls, he's the leader of the plaque..."

and...

"Wait! I'm not numb!
Aw shut up, open wide, here I come!"

[gows.livejournal.com]

Do you have a biter (aka "nightguard")?

Those things are worth their weight in fucking platinum, let me tell you. I've had all of . . . two? since my early 20s. That'd be 15 years ago now. Not gonna preach if you're on the train, but if you're not . . . *swoon*

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

The idea of OMG SLEEPING WITH SOMETHING IN MY MOUTH wigs me out just to THINK about it.

[gows.livejournal.com]

Waking up with daily headaches was way worse. Not to mention ENAMEL, GUM, AND BONE LOSS. Greg had to have corpse gums grafted onto his in 10 places, and then chose to have chunks of his own flesh carved out of the roof of his mouth when two of those failed. *shudder*

The worst part is having the impression made. Otherwise . . . well, get a stick of gum, chew it, and smear it over your lower teeth, inside and out. It's about like that. Ever have a retainer in high school? Pretty similar.

[gows.livejournal.com]

*seconding the biter*

Although the two I've had have both been custom-made, and worth every cent many times over.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I like mine as well, but they cost hundreds of dollars out of pocket. I'm guessing that's not the top priority for her money right now. :-/

[angevin2.livejournal.com]

I apparently also clench my teeth in my sleep (though I don't seem to grind). My GP put me on a low dosage of Pamelor, which helped a lot, except now I'm out of it and said GP won't see me anymore because she's at Student Health and I'm no longer a student, so I now need a new doctor whom I can afford and who will write me a scrip (there's a generic available so it's cheap, about $45/month). It worked better than my efforts at using a mouthguard -- I'd always wake up chewing on it.

[gows.livejournal.com]

*nod* My first was out of pocket as well. Something like $350, IIRC. (This was, obviously, A While Ago.) By the time it cacked on me, I was down to amortizing it to mere pennies a day.

And, yeah, I understand the money priority thing, but GUM LOSS and BONE LOSS and ENAMEL LOSS are really, really scary things. I've watched my partner deal with gum loss, and it's been just . . . icky. To say the least. *shudder*

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Nowadays they cost like $525. O_o If I didn't have a medical FSA, it would be a lot harder to manage.

Read your description of your partner's woes, and ACK. Just...ACK.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, I'll mention this when I have my appointment on the 8th. Thank you!

[deakat]

That dentist and hygienist sound wonderful. I cancelled my last scheduled check-up and cleaning because I was without insurance, and I just realized that one of the reasons I haven't rescheduled is that I'm dreading the lecture. :(

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

If you do reschedule, I freely offer you MY little speech to the hygienist. If you say it before they get their hands in your mouth, maybe you'll have a good chance!

[gows.livejournal.com]

o.O

The last biter I got was . . . six years ago. Thank god it was covered under my dental plan.

And yeah, Greg really went through the wringer. To be fair, he didn't HAVE to have used his own tissue, but thought he'd give it a shot. Really, really, REALLY bad idea. He had a horrific gash in the roof of his mouth, couldn't eat (which led to him getting cranky very quickly) . . . and we were going through a ridiculously stressful house purchase, along with the attendant packing and moving. Not sure why I didn't kill him.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

The dentist seems to think that a timely root planing and scaling will forestall the need for all of that horror, so as soon as I have either the money or a job with coverage, I'll schedule that.