I Have "Special" Teeth

I LOVE my dentist. I see Dr. Michael Schafhauser W DDS at Capitol Dental Center in St. Paul. I've been going to him ever since I had teeth and never had a problem being scared to go to him for anything... until I moved back from Louisiana. I had a few very bad dental experiences down there, and now my nerves start freaking out at the mere thought of a dentist office.

A couple months ago I scheduled a visit to see Dr. Mike for a routine cleaning. It was going to be my first time going to the dentist since having Ari, and I had a bad feeling about it. As some you may know, I experienced a lot of morning sickness while I was pregnant. Well, when I would try to brush my teeth, and especially when I would try to floss, I would gag and sometimes even vomit. I hate to say it.. but I definitely started slacking, big time.

So, I went in to get my teeth cleaned, and decided to get gassed up because my nerves were so frazzled. They found 3 cavities and I made a followup appointment to get them filled.

About a month ago I got them filled, and definitely got gassed for that too. (ah, so much more relaxing) After he was done filling them, Dr. Mike told me that he was really worried about one of my teeth in particular. He said that if it didn't get better, I might have to have a root canal. WHAT?!! But... I like my roots! I want to keep them! He also told me that there were 6 other areas that he was concerned about, that could turn into cavities if we didn't do something about it. Eeek!

He prescribed me a super-duper strength fluoride toothpaste to use once a day before bedtime, in hopes that it will prevent those little spots from getting worse. I'm supposed to floss first, then brush with the toothpaste using no water, and finally spit but not rinse out my mouth. That part creeps me out the most. When I was young I was taught to always rinse my mouth out after brushing, so now when I don't rinse at night, the little girl in me feels like I'm disobeying. I'm also not supposed to drink water afterward, so I have to try hard to remember to drink all the water I want at night before brushing.

Ugh.. what a pain. So yeah, I have "special" teeth. My teeth apparently hate me and no longer want to be in my mouth. I am actually looking forward to going to the dentist again for my next checkup in a few months or so.. only to see if all this effort is making a difference. I really don't think it is, because ever since I got my cavities filled, that one bad tooth especially has been even more sensitive to heat and cold. I think this is a big contributing factor in the disappearance of my desire to eat; it's been missing for the most part for the last month or so. = /

So in conclusion, I have some words for the wise: brush your teeth twice daily. Floss twice daily. Rinse with mouthwash/flouride rinse twice daily. Do not eat lemons. Do not chew ice. Do not drink sugary beverages, or if you do, rinse your mouth out with water afterward. Heed these warnings, lest you end up like me... being threatened with a root canal. = \


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