Sunday, September 09, 2007

Sonicare

The Sonicare is one of my most recent steps in taking better care of my teeth. Believe it or not, I had not been serious about taking care of my teeth before 200.....2, I think. Anyway, not until pretty recent. I had always been afraid and terrified of the dentist. I hated the feel of metal scraping on my teeth. But, my mouth was in trouble. In the beginning, I started to go to the dentist just because I was too embarrassed about my not so fresh breath. I NEEDED to deal with the issue. But, as I went to the dentist I found out that my mouth had more issues than just the breath. My gums were in trouble as well and plaque had built up. So, I decided to bite the bullet and jump in with both feet. Let me tell ya, it wasn't easy. I was out of my mind nervous. But, I couldn't ask for a better situation to go in. The dentist was a family friend that I could trust to be kind and honest. And, I had insurance. So, I had nothing to lose, but my embarrassment. It wasn't pretty that first time I went to the dentist. My mouth was in bad shape. After that first visit I had to go back in just a few weeks because my mouth needed to heal before my dentist could proceed. Yike! But, I was determined. Now, I go to the dentist regularly every 6 months. And, on good advice from my brother, I schedule my next appointments before I leave the dentist's office. If I didn't, I would probably procrastinate and end up not going for years. And, just recently, my dentist told me that my gums were still in trouble. I had not been flossing every night as he had recommended and parts of my gums were still infected and puffy. Nasty, right? But, he told me one thing that made me take my care of my mouth to the next level. He told me that if my gums didn't heal on their own, I would have to get surgery where they would have to cut into my gums to fix them. The idea of my gums getting cut into freaked me out. So, I began to floss properly every night. It was hard in the beginning because there would be a lot of blood. Which is the problem. Your gums should not bleed too easily. If they do, they're not healthy. So, floss even if its uncomfortable. Eventually, there is less blood and then no blood. My gums healed on their own. And, on my next visit, the dentist told me that there was a night and day difference on the condition they were in. So, with the recommendations from my dentist and girlfriend, I've taken the next step and purchased the Sonicare tooth brush. I'm still feeling my way on using it properly, but it seems to be making a difference. My teeth do feel cleaner after a brushing. Not "dentist clean" like the commercial hints, but cleaner than a regular toothbrush. If anything can help my visits to the dentist be more pleasant, I'll take it. I still fight my laziness to go through the process at night. But, whenever I feel too lazy to floss, brush, and mouthwash, I remember what my dentist said. "... surgery on your gums..." Then, the process doesn't seem too much anymore. :)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Evan!

We are very happy that you do not have any bad breath anymore :) I am sure your girlfriend is very relieved too....heehee. Bad breath, bad gums are NOT good :P Keep up your good work in practicing good oral hygiene!