Dental hygiene is a must.

The increasingly painful stings on some of my upper molars forced me to finally search for a dentist in the area that would suit my needs. Yesterday, I stumbled upon the Family Dental Associates and read some pleasant reviews online, so called to check for an appointment. To my surprise, knowing how busy dental offices can be, they had an appointment for today at 8:00AM. Early, yes, but necessary given the painful circumstances and my upcoming schedule returning to work.


So here I am, sitting in the elegant waiting room, waiting for the dental hygienist to call my name (still trying to get accustomed to Foster). Name called and exit door left. She takes a few x-rays and I'm in the chair, that I loathed so much as a younger version of myself. Then the fun begins...


She starts by asking a few questions and then goes on to count how many fillings I have. Then she goes to measure my gums for gum disease. She explains that any measurement between a 1 and a 3 is good, and any measurement above a 3 is not. Luckily all of my measurements were 2s and 3s. 


The dentist comes in at this point and does all of his normal routines and checks. He notices that I probably clench my jaw at some point, which I do at night during my sleep. He also notices the soreness at my gum-line (the main event). He explains that could be from a few things and tells the hygienist to use some sort of fluoride resin to help seal the areas and decrease the pains.


She then goes on to clean my teeth, remove tartar and calcium build-up, and polish them to a sparkling white. All the while, she explains the following: I need to make sure I'm using a soft or extra soft bristle toothbrush; that I should brush lighter for a longer period of time, instead of tougher for a shorter period of time. She also explains that Sensodyne toothpaste works really well in cases like mine where I need to rebuild some of those barriers to protect my teeth. She also explained how, when and how often I should floss to maintain good gum condition and clean in areas brushing does not. She also explains that by clenching my teeth at night, I am constantly working my jaw muscles. Just like working any other muscles, they'll increase in size, so that might explain something about my jawline and TMJ. 


Okay, so all of this information may sound like rambling, and hopefully to many of you, this information is already known. For me, I learned a lot today about my teeth, how to take care of them, and what not to do. I'd recommend visiting this dentist, if you're in fact looking for a teeth-cleaning home. They are wonderfully friendly and sweet (even at 8AM), and almost like a "teaching dentist office" in that they inform you about the things you should know. 


So here's to keeping those pearly whites clean and gums healthy!