Thursday, July 24, 2008

Going the the Dentist....SUX!!!


Okay, so does anyone know why they recommend that you have your teeth cleaned every 6 months???? Well, I do.......to avoid the need to have 10-12 cavities filled. YES, you read correctly.....I have between 10 and 12 cavities. It had been at least 3 years since I had been to the dentist. Why you ask.....well, I hate the dentist. I hate the scraping and the flossing and the gritty mess left inside my mouth. I hate it. But, after I could visibly see decay in my mouth, I decided it was time. PLUS, I want my kids to get into the habit of going, so I wanted to be a good role model. We have dental insurance, so I bit the bullet the made the appointment.

I went to John C. Patton, D.D.S. and his LOVELY hygienist, Kerry Bruce. Let's face it, you spend most of your time with the hygienist, so we hope that they are friendly to you and kind to your mouth. This woman was fabulous and we had a great conversation. PLUS, I learned a lot.

Did you know that your teeth, both baby and permanent teeth, develop in utero. So, if your mother does not drink enough water with fluoride, your teeth (namely enamel) may not develop properly. Also, during the first year of life, your teeth continue to develop, so again, fluoride fortified water is crucial to a newborn. Also, if a baby is on a lot of antibiotics during their first year, then their teeth suffer as well. We got into this discussion because I have very rough teeth and I asked why. She explained that it happened in my mother's womb and that my teeth have some enamel, but I am lacking what the normal person would have. Thus, the many cavities. I was born in Wichita and lived there during my first year. Kerry told me that Wichita does not have fluoride in their tap water. A fact that I pointed out to my MOTHER last night. However, the water in Emporia, KS is like within the 5th percentile in the nation.

I am not sure that I will ever have a beautiful mouth, like I would love. However, that won't ever keep me from smiling!!!!

1 comments:

Shel said...

Hey Girl, I have a blog now. I hate going to the dentist also. I will email you my blog info. I added you to my favorite blog list. I hope that is ok.