| |
|
Ah, teeth. Yes. Well, I just went and made an initial appointment this morning at the dentist recommended by Stoatie. In principle I guess a checkup would always have been fine, but I've only been to see a dentist twice in the last four years or so, and that was for emergency surgery on two impacted wisdom teeth (technically one wisdom tooth, and another being pushed slowly by a wisdom tooth)and then a follow up some months later.
The advantage of going to Whitechapel Hospital is that it is free. The disadvantage is that it's a teaching hospital. This is not because of the students - the ones I had were in their final year, so were actually quite well trained. No, the problem came when the first one needed the help of the lecturer, who was not kind and gentle, but yanked away and drilled like a demon at those poor old molars, and did the tugging my head around with scarcely a care for my discomfort.
I found the experience oddly intriguing, especially as it seemed to take about 3-4 injections of novocaine (or similar) each time to get my mouth properly numb. Novocaine is a fun drug, as you get to watch a tube stuck in your mouth flow with your own blood and chunks of teeth (apart from the fragments flying out of your mouth) in an entirely pain-free way.
The first time I got stitched up after the two bottom teeth came out, and a cap put on the molar which the right-hand wisdom tooth had broken on its quest to tunnel its way diagonally towards the front of my mouth. Unfortunately that cap soon came off, so I had to go back, but the molar is now an evil little stump awaiting removal. Hence the booking of a visit to this new dentist next week...
I am not looking forward to being told off for the state of my teeth, but its something I really, really need to do. So much for the consequences of not seeing a dentist much for, ooh, fifteen-twenty years (apart from once when I was a student), as well as teenage years drinking ice cream and coca cola floats pretty much every weekend, between daily doses of chocolate.
One of the reasons I didn't go for so long was expense, as well as a degree of nervousness. The expense thing is partly a point of principle - I really still don't see why dental treatment is not free to everyone while other medical care is available under the NHS. However, when I was unemployed and entitled to free dental treament, I still didn't go, so the element of nervousness is still there. It's probably mostly to do with not liking any kind of medical treatment in the first place though.
As for current dental hygeine. Um. Not too good. I have been brushing twice daily now for a while, having only done so in the morning for a good few years. Brushing before going to bed has actually made me feel much cleaner and refreshed for the morning, especially after an evening at the pub or if I happen to have smoked something. Since I gave up smoking cigarettes, and only now smoke other things infrequently, I have found my mouth feels much fresher for the main part, but it's the state my teeth have fallen into which is now such a problem.
I tried using mouthwash for a while, but they all seem to come laced with aspartame, as do most toothpastes. I've managed to find a good sweetener-free toothpaste, but not mouthwash as yet.
Flossing is something I have no experience of - it always seems a little strange to me. |
|
|
