Dental Fashion Faux Pas
I was relaxing at the dentist yesterday (and yes, you’ve already mentioned that I’m weird). Anyway, I was relaxing with a mouth full of equipment, having my teeth cleaned in and enjoying a conversation about cats with Theresa – who’s a brilliant hygienist – and we got talking about the state of my mouth.
My dental health is a bit of an uphill struggle, what with RA-related difficulties in cleaning my teeth. Add to that a relatively recent battle to keep my gums from bleeding, something that appears to be impossible given that I’m on an immunosuppressant. Used to be that all I had to do was remember to floss for about three days and things went back to perfectly healthy, but my immune system is now suppressed so much that it’s having trouble beating down the bacteria in my mouth, hence bleeding gums. Not something I ever expected as a consequence of taking Humira, but what are you gonna do…
However! This is not necessarily about terribly gross things and I apologize to those of you who snapped into a fetal position at the mention of the dentist and gums. There is good news – at the end of the appointment, my dentist said “this is the best I’ve seen your mouth in a long time” and I (and my bank account) was ecstatic to hear that.
But back to the point of this post. In between talking about cats, I asked Theresa how my mouth was looking and she said the gums were much better, the last time she’d seen me, the gums along the upper right quadrant had been “rolls”.
Yes. She said rolls.
And this is the point where I started to laugh so hard there were tears. Blessedly, I didn’t accidentally swallow any sharp instruments as a result, but once I could talk again, I asked:
“So what you’re telling me is that my teeth had muffin tops?”
Does making yourself laugh until crying mean you’re a total dork?
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Making yourself laugh until you are crying is good for you. Every once in a while something catches my funnybone and I laugh uncontrollably until my sides hurt and then I laugh some more. After I calm down, I feel better in my soul for the rest of the day and sometimes for days afterward. A good laugh is a good thing,
I aspire to achieve that level of dorkitudinousness. What a priceless, unforgettable comeback that was! Well done!
By the way: dark chocolate above 70% kills the staph infections in your mouth that cause cavities and even freshens your breath in the process.
Yes. It only makes us love you more.
HAHAH! That sounds like a 'Yo Mama' joke: 'Yo Mama so fat, even her teeth got muffin tops!'
**rolls out of wheelchair laughing**
Love the joke, but do you have an electric toothbrush? My dentist told me I needed surgery on my gums that I couldn't afford, so I bought a $100 toothbrush. It's rather disgusting what it removed the first time, but my gums are fine now. Best investment I ever made.
Ha!
DD has an electric toothbrush & loves it. It may be worth trying for you. Also, the handle is bigger around than your low-tech variety toothbrush, so may be much easier to hold on to.
As far as laughing yourself to tears…no worse than the laundry pelting that I got from my DD the other day. Don't know why we thought it was so funny, but we were both in tears!
Suggestions: Prevident toothpaste, fluoride that you brush onto your teeth (by prescription), chewing gum that contains xylitol (kills bacteria), antibacterial mouthwashes unless they dry your mouth out too much, treatment for dry mouth if you have it (can give some suggestions). If you're getting a lot of cavities, there are some other toothpastes you can use that will also help fill the enamel back in/do some repair. Best electric toothbrush = Sonicare
Yeah, been there. Glad your teeth are doing better!
Suggestions: Prevident toothpaste, fluoride that you brush onto your teeth (by prescription), chewing gum that contains xylitol (kills bacteria), antibacterial mouthwashes unless they dry your mouth out too much, treatment for dry mouth if you have it (can give some suggestions). If you're getting a lot of cavities, there are some other toothpastes you can use that will also help fill the enamel back in/do some repair. Best electric toothbrush = Sonicare
Yeah, been there. Glad your teeth are doing better!