In the continuing saga of my teeth and my dentist phobia I had my first appointment this week with the dental hygienist. The last time I saw one was about five years ago and who was an utter butcher and continued whirring and scraping on despite my protestations. I'd never been to one before nor since. This time round, and knowing that I probably have "treat with kid gloves" in red all over my files, it was not too bad. Things still hurt but she was sensitive and considerate.
In fact, and I don't know if they say this to all the dental phobics to cheer us up, but she said that whatever I was doing to take care of my teeth was perfect and that I should just keep it up. She gave me a printout of the few teeth areas that I need to pay extra special care with but otherwise my scores for plaque and bleeding were below the 'normal' level! (Which means they were good!)
Thanks to a lot of encouragement from fellow bloggers regarding flossing I took a look at all the flossing products available in the stores. There is something about buying all these little plastic gadgets that have to be thrown away after each use that disturbs me. I know it is only small amounts of plastic and we probably get through far more in our regular food packaging but I just can't bring myself to add to the waste in this world. So I settled with wooden dental toothpicks in a neat little plastic box. They have been fantastic, and as the dental hygeinist was impressed with my dental hygeine they must be OK. She didn't even tell me to floss, "just carry on what you are doing"!
However, it is a pain that I currently have in one of my teeth that is due to be removed in a few weeks time. I'm hoping that it will be feeling better by the morning. Maybe some more white rum is needed. (For medicinal purposes only of course as this stuff is something like 70° proof. It actually tastes yummy as long as you don't leave it on your tongue or in your upper throat for longer than a nano second.)
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- doris said...
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My nose feels like it is about to fall off.... this feeling will soon move to my tooth. Hoooray. And my typing is becoming more considered and prrofed 10 times...
- Just Wandering said...
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Just go the dentist, it's good for you! Just keep telling yourself that. A little prevention prevents a nightmarish dentist visit down the road that involves root canals and teeth pulling.
- Mama Mouse said...
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Oh Doris ... You are quite definitely in bed by now ... I HOPE!!! Its 4 a.m. there (11 pm here) .... and I would HOPE you are asleep dreaming of pirates and "yo ho ho" bottles of rum!
I know how you feel about dentists ... I feel the SAME way and avoid them myself! I've had one root canal ... and one ALMOST root canal that was luckily not needed. But I have lost several teeth totally.
Just go ... and whine a lot each time ... let them know you are scared to death ... and really DON'T want them in your mouth. They'll be extra gentle!
Hugs. - MrsDoF said...
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The single use picks bothered me too, until one day one of the males of the house left one too close to the burner on the stove and it melted into this tiny little ball.
What we do is toss them into a little bucket, then I rinse them all off and put them in with the bottles to be recycled.
Maybe good, maybe not, but my own mind rests better.
Hope your head gets well soon. Root canal x 3, crown x 6, and one fake in my mouth. I think I paid for all the furniture and carpeting in the dentist's waiting room. - Neutron said...
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I am also a bit suspicious when they say things like, "hey, you really look after your teeth well!" Cos I DON'T...and I hate it VERY much when you are lying there and they say, "you are doing fine!" Cos I am NOT!!
As for the rum...that's the kind of stuff about which my dad (who was in the wines and spirits trade) used to say, "that would take the enamel off your teeth!" So maybe you should find a different "pain killer"! - Bernadette said...
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There is a dentist here whose name sounds encouraging, at least--Dr. Loving! Good luck, Doris!
How I enjoyed your post on your trip to Northumberland! - Ally said...
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And the rum will kill any bacteria doing Bad Things in your mouth, as well. Sensible choice! :).
- Cheryl said...
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If its still aching today, can't you make an emergency appointment?
You shouldnt have to put up with throbbing pain for a week, even if its only in the gum, or only kicks in when you're tired.
I rely on Anbesol, alcoholic liquid teething rub for babies, antiseptic and anaesthetic. Those gel preparations are useless, I find they slide off to the wrong place.
How are you today? - doris said...
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It's the next day and I feel like a bear with a sore head but my mouth feels neutral and not sure if I can feel anything at all. Maybe the rum killed off the pain receptors as well as a few brain cells!
I've been busy this morning out the house when I really want to curl up and do nothing. I guess that is just a coincidence, and my toothache was temporary and down to my over zealousness with the jiggery pokery of the dental toothpicks.
If it continued to bother then of course I'd make an emergency appointment with the dentist. But at the middle of the night the home remedy worked fine!
Thanks for your various tips :-) - Pookie65 said...
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I despise going to the dentist. It's not the actual exam that bothers me it's the chitter chatter of the hygenist while they prod & poke. I've not had a hygenist yet that didn't play 20 questions during a cleaning. Like how in the world are we supposed to talk???
Dentists are a cruel necessity IMHO. - Karen said...
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Yes yes more white rum - pour me a glass whilst you're there. I hope you are feeling top tastic soon
- arrazello said...
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Very few pains are worse than toothache or earache. Hope it goes away real soon. I always treat myself to a Baileys if I feel I have a sore throat. It's very soothing, seems to coat my throat. As it happens, I quite often feel as if my throat is a little sore ;)
- John said...
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One tip I picked up somewhere is to rub on Bonjella, the salve for babies with teething problems. It's supposed to work a treat. When I was living in Spain and had toothache, I went to a pharmacia and asked for a dental antibiotic to tide me over until I could see a dentist. They sold me one which cleared it up in a very short time, and it didn't come back. I doubt you could do that here, but you might try a small chemist, especially if you know the people. They may be sympathetic about the state of NHS dentistry. Other than that, if the Bonjella doesn't work, amputation of the head is very effective :-)
- Pearl said...
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My dentist had the motto "we cater to dental cowards". There might be softer touch ones local to you too.
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