Reader here, and I made it through another trip to the dentist yesterday.
I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to get anything further done until my next check-up in May of 2026. However, that was not to be, as I’m in need of a couple of fillings, and it appears that I need to have a crown replaced.
Yay for more dental work and unexpected expenses!
Now, I have to be a little bit more strategic with my spending, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, though I’d rather do that in order to save money for something fun!
Thank goodness for benefits which certainly help to soften the blow moneywise.
When it comes to the dentist, I used to get very anxious, especially when I was a kid.
I grew up in an era when every year during elementary school, the dental nurses would go around and set up shop at schools for several weeks at a time, working their way through every kid in school, doing check-ups, cleanings, and any other work needing to be done.
During that time, I would always be worked up, waiting for my turn in the chair, like a condemned prisoner headed for the gallows. I’d get headaches, tummy aches and sore throats, as my anxiety would manifest itself physically. Every time the end of the school day came, and I made it through without my number coming up, I’d breath a sigh of relief.
Inevitably, though, my turn would come, and I’d get my cleanings, x-rays, and any other work needing to be done, from fillings to crowns.
And it was never as bad as I made it out to be. Though there was one thing I hated… getting fluoride.
Remember when you’d get to choose the flavour of the goop they’d put in the boxing-style mouthguard, that they’d stick in your mouth? And you would have to keep it there for one minute. But in that one minute, it seemed like they’d head to the staff room for coffee for TEN minutes, meanwhile, that goop would start running out of the mouthguard and you’d start gagging on it? And of course, when I was a kid, they’d never give me control of the little vacu-suck tool to take care of the overflow… The worst!
Luckily, as I grew up, I got over my anxiety, and now, I pretty much fall asleep in the chair. In fact, I told the hygenist yesterday that I could actually use one of those chairs in my house – I get super comfy in them! My, how things have changed!
Ultimately, though, it’s a reminder to always brush, floss and take care of your chompers. Because that way, you can maintain a sparkly grin, and avoid more trips to the dentist than necessary!
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