Got my teeth cleaned for the first time in 11 months this morning. I know you're supposed to go every six, but as an hourly you have to get your work in when you can, and so if it comes to missing time on a project or going without a check-up, I went without a check-up. Only the combination of being away from the chair for so long and a flexible schedule where I can make up hours later in the week convinced me to finally stick to this time after two or three postponements.
Nevertheless, as much as I bitch about hygiene, my actions speak to my indifference about brushing and flossing and taking care of my teeth. As much as I brushed and flossed last night -- and I know for a fact that the percentage of people who do both the night before a dental appointment is at least 100% -- me going days without doing either show up, in all the plaque that's spackled to my teeth, in all the "pockets" that dot my gumline, and these white "deposits" that are early signs of cavities. I knew I was going to get caught on my lack of routine; I'm just glad that the student cleaning my teeth this morning didn't go on and on about it, like this one other student I had a few years ago. Man, what a passive-aggressive bitch she was.
I understand that all these students are doing their job. Some might even care about their patients' health. I'm not saying that I'm right, nor am I being a curmudgeon. I'm just saying that, as much advice as all these students have and will give, I'm too fucking lazy to change. This time around a supervisor mentioned this super-powerful prescription mouthwash, an ultra-Listerine. The student recommend I brush twice and alternate regular Listerine with my ACT in order not to have this chore become such a, well, chore. And I got the old "make sure you brush against the gumline" advice. Eventually it's going to fall on deaf ears, and I'll have to go through this song and dance the next time.
To help me when I won't help myself, the student pasted some flouride "vitamin" on my teeth. I'm such an asshole that, even though I agreed to it, I was looking at my watch to see how soon I could get out of there. (It was 2 1/2 hours -- too long for me to use my light-rail ticket as a round-trip, and I didn't have any time to take a nap before work like I wanted to.) If I had my way, I would have left the dental clinic instead of get something that would fortify my teeth. But the upside to this varnish is that, because it's injecting its flouride into my teeth, I'm not supposed to brush my teeth until the morning. I'll call that ... and raise you a week!
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