Over at the RevGals, ReverendMother and Cheesehead are both laid up this week with various tooth maladies. This one's in honor of them:
1. Are you a regular patron of dentists' offices? Or, do you go
a) faithfully, as long as you have insurance, or
b) every few years or so, whether you need it or not, or
c) dentist? what is this "dentist" thing you speak of?
I was raised to believe that taking care of your teeth is of PARAMOUNT importance. So I go to the dentist every 6 months per what my insurance allows. I have cleanings each time and the annual exam every other time. I don't LOVE going to the dentist but I don't mind it. My DH was not raised that way. Of course, he has incredibly good teeth naturally and he thinks my belief is ridiculous. However, I insist he goes to the dentist at least once a year because, hey, I'm paying for it.
2. Whatever became of your wisdom teeth?
They were removed via oral surgery when I was in 9th grade. My mother asked for them (she is into that stuff) but I don't know where they are now. I hope she doesn't still have them!
I remember my choir director being really rude and not believing that I had had that done (as an excuse for why I had missed rehearsals) because I was so young for it. She was having a bad year that year.
3. Favorite thing to eat that's BAAAAAD for your teeth.
Ice! And, um, cherries. You heard me! I actually chipped the corner off of one of my bottom front teeth while sucking the flesh off of a Bing cherry, and apparently using my teeth to help in that process. I had no idea cherries were so dangerous. It was horrible, and of course I did it during Spring Break week when my dentist is closed for a week. Bless his heart, he came in during vacation. My favorite part was that his wife came in to assist him...and she is not a dental assistant. That was funny. More for me than for them, I think.
He put a magical little filling on there of that white composite stuff. You totally can't tell I have a filling...unless I am biting a peppermint candy by mistake and break the filling off a year later. Then I have to go back and grovel and cry and he does it all over again. I try to be very careful.
4. Ever had oral surgery? Commiserate with me.
Just the wisdom teeth, 2 of which were impacted. I remember fondly a Jerry Lewis film festival on the 3 o'clock Million Dollar Movie that week - it was the highlight of the week since the rest of the time there was nothing on the TV except maybe Dialing for Dollars. This was in 1979, after all.
5. "I'd rather have a root canal than _________________."
Have all my teeth pulled! My husband's dad had that done when he was 63, because he had grown up very poor and his teeth had never been cared for properly. Although his debilitating migraines totally disappeared after having the teeth out. So, go figure.
Bonus: Does your dentist recommend Trident?
My dentist has never said a word about gum to me, yea or nay. And actually I don't chew gum because I have TMJ syndrome and it makes it worse.
What I also don't do is eat whole apples anymore - I bit into an apple in grad school and my jaw locked open! Zoinks! That was pretty darn bad.
