I Still Have Teeth
I see this is the first time in about a month that I've written seven entries in a row. Hope this means that my life is calming down for a while!
I went in with some trepidation: I don't have great teeth (they're straight, but have always been susceptible to cavities), and I haven't been to the dentist in more than three years. So I was bracing myself for the worst. I figured six cavities might not be an unreasonable thing to expect, especially since I'd been having a pain in an upper tooth for the last week which was particularly sensitive to hot and cold. I'd never had a toothache before.
So what was the prognosis? Just this: I'm brushing my teeth too hard!
What?
It turns out that I've been using a brush of "medium" stiffness, and that I've been slowly scraping away the enamel on my teeth, and pushing back a few gums, and that the pain I'm feeling is because the nerves are now feeling things right through the teeth. However, I've been doing a good job fighting plaque, so I don't have any cavities!
This is largely a relief: No drilling for me! And I can spend that money elsewhere. (Like, I can think more seriously about house-shopping this winter.) The drawback is that there's no simple, "We'll fill the cavity and you'll be better" approach to fixing the pain I feel. The dentist switched me to a softer toothbrush, and recommended I start using some desensitizing toothpaste which will gradually dull the nerve so I can eat comfortably again, but I guess I'll have to keep using this stuff for the rest of my life.
Well heck, I wear a brace at night to combat TMJ, and I'll have to do that for the rest of my life, so I guess it's no big deal. At least I'll still have my teeth!
What a strange experience this has been! Sometimes I feel like I'm luckier in my life than I deserve.
Of course, other times, I don't...
|
|
|
|
