Finally Facing Up to Things

The health issue that I was concerned about in a post the other week, was finally faced up to a couple of weeks ago, when I went along for my appointment with a new to me dentist.  The outcome wasn't a tenth as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I came out feeling such a sense of relief, that I couldn't quite take it in for a couple of  days.

The fact of the matter was, that I hadn't been to the dentist for a considerable time. Don't get me wrong, I meticulously clean my teeth, day and night and in the last couple of years have started using mouthwash. In addition, I have also very recently made peace with my nemesis, namely dental floss, and have become a born again flosser, currently flossing daily, which I have never been able to bring myself to do in the past. It's amazing what genuine fear of losing your teeth can do to motivate you.

Although I knew that I needed to go, after such a long absence, I found the thought of going to the dentist both shame inducing and frankly terrifying, hence why it took so long for me to face up to my fears and finally make that appointment.

It doesn't help that I've  always had major problems with my teeth, from being a child, which was even more reason why I shouldn't have left it so long.  I've had so much dental treatment and have been so self conscious about my teeth over the years, that it didn't take much for me to stay right away from the dentist chair, just one belittling encounter with a particularly unpleasant dentist and that was enough to keep me away.

Even when I broke a tooth, a couple of years ago, biting into a roasted chestnut, this couldn't induce me go and seek treatment.  Then, I started having other problems mainly with my gums and became convinced I had gum disease. It was this that finally forced my hand and the appointment was made.

Anyway, the new dentist was very professional and non-judgmental, which I was very appreciative of.  It turns out that I don't have gum disease, but I do need to brush them a bit more gently and I also need one new filling, a couple of teeth re-filled and a crown making for a broken tooth, which incidentally, I'd convinced myself would need to be extracted.

I started my treatment last week and it will be ongoing over the next month or so, which will be expensive, as I am going to pay privately for white fillings and for the crown.

In comparison to what I thought would need doing, paying extra to get a slightly better aesthetic result seems to me to be a small price to pay for the years of neglect.  I can't believe how foolish I was to ignore my oral health for so long, but fortunately for me this time around, the harm done wasn't too serious and I'm determined to get back on the right track.

I have been incredibly lucky and believe me I know it.  I won't be making the same mistake again.