I’m heading to the dentist this afternoon to have the last of my “silver” fillings replaced with “tooth-colored” ones of composite resin. I can’t believe I’m already old enough that my amalgam fillings are starting to wear out. Granted, I started getting fillings at a very young age and now flog myself for not flossing as a child.
It may be too much information, but my secret to flossing regularly now is that I floss while in the shower. Why hadn’t I thought of this years ago? We have a nifty fog-free mirror in the shower and while my conditioner is working, I floss. It’s wonderful. I don’t have to worry about making a mess and in the time that I’d just stand around waiting for my hair follicles to be moisturized, I now help prevent periodontal disease.
After skipping dental cleanings for years due to the lack of insurance and initiative, I had root planing done while we lived in northern California. It was not pleasant, took four, two-hour appointments and hundreds of dollars to get my gums back in shape. Well, that and a Sonicare toothbrush.
Actually, the worst part of visits to the dentist is the Novocain — not getting the shots of anesthetic, but just the numb feeling. It’s bad enough when my foot falls asleep, but to have half of one’s mouth without any sensation is downright bizarre. Besides, the drooling is pretty unsightly. 
Oh there is so much I could say about this one. . . . . . . . .
My own visits to the dentist were memorable to say the least. I had one visit that reminded me of the creation of Frankenstein’s monster and the opening sequence to The Incredible Hulk. I never got my picture taken with the teddy bear to be put on the “Good Patient Club” bulletin board in the waiting room. I’m still bitter about that…….
What is root planing? Yes, I really want to know.
I like your flossing in the shower idea, I think I’ll try it! Dr. Guest will be so happy!!!
P.S. Good luck at the dentist. I hope it goes well.
In layman’s terms, root planing is when a hygenist takes one of those scary hook-shaped instruments and scrapes and planes the root of each tooth (like a carpenter planes a piece of wood so it is even) below the surface of the gumline. This way the crud is removed and the gums can more firmly attach themselves to the root of the tooth.
It was pretty uncomfortable as my gums were really sore afterwards and my jaw hurt from being open so long for every session. Trust me, you don’t want to know root planing first hand. Just floss. We use the new Natural Citrus Listerine® Antiseptic Mouthwash and that’s been helpful too.
My appointment went well except that I needed three shots of Novocain. Yuck. Thanks for the good wishes.