Pearly Whites

I have just been to the dentist (ouch - both physical and financial pain!). The experience got me thinking about those little white gems in our mouths which are so very necessary and can also cause us so much trouble.
Getting teeth the first time is traumatic for both parents and the baby. Swollen gums, fevers, restless nights and irritability are all part of getting those "baby" teeth. But what joy when you first feel that sharp little tooth popping through! And is anything cuter than a baby's smile revealing those first two teeth? The process of getting all of the teeth seems to take forever. Everthing bad is blamed on teething. Finally, the two year molars are in and now we wait for the first loose tooth to come out! The tooth fairy visits and the gaps in the smile are engaging.
The second set of teeth emerge slowly and for years kids have a jack-0-lantern smile. Crowding (at least in our family) causes problems and teeth come in crooked. Sometimes they come in behind those baby teeth that just seem to want to hold on forever. Then off to the dentist we go to see if there is a problem or if we should just wait. Of course, usually there is a problem and we are sent off to the orthodontist for an evaluation. Extractions occur, spacers are inserted, mouth wideners must be turned with a key each night. Braces are strongly suggested and those bimonthly visits go on for years. I think we put our orthodontist's children through college! All six of ours had to have extensive work done.
The trips to the office for tightening, new elastics, etc. goes on for years. But finally, it all comes to an end and the braces are removed. New casts are taken and the difference between the beginning and the end results are amazing and very much worth it! Now comes the fitting of the retainers. There are lots of lost retainer stories and we have experienced many of them. Once we searched through garbage dumpster at Beebe School to try to find one that had been carefully placed in a napkin. Of course, it was discarded and we never found it. That meant a replacement (and more money). The wearing of a retainer soon gets old. They end up in a drawer or cabinet somehere and slowly those nice straight teeth try to revert back to their original positions. It is painful to try to start using the retainers again. So many times, a tooth or two is out of place and no one even notices any more (or cares!).
We haven't even mentioned the regular checkups , fillings, floride treatments, etc. My teeth are white on the outside and silver on the inside! Lots of fillings, a few crowns, a couple of root canals - all these are part of my dental history. The kids seem to take after Rulon with few cavities. Of course, we had floride in the water here and I credit that for fewer problems too.
And now, I find out that I have periodontal gum disease!! Does it ever end? I had to have half my mouth numbed and the teeth scaled and antibiotics shot into my gums. Now I am facing the other half in a couple of days. I just went in to have my teeth cleaned and an exam. They wouldn't even do anything until I had this deep cleaning (very expensive).
At least I still have my teeth. My mother had hers removed at an early age. All older people seemed to have dentures when I was young. And of course, the pain of getting used to false teeth sometimes meant that they were only inserted when leaving the house! The teeth in a jar by the bed was a common sight.
Now there are bridges, implants, and many other ways to save teeth. It is much better to save them than to lose them. So we keep on working to stave off all that can destroy these pearly whites.
I innocently asked the hygentist what type of toothbrush was good. She immediately told me that an electric brush with soft bristles was best. AND if I should want to buy one, they had an Oral B there for only $99. Apparently that is a deal compared to stores. Maybe I will go get a battery operated brush.
Teeth are expensive but priceless. My advice is to take care of your mouth. There is new evidence that links many other health problems to gum disease. Guess we have to do the best we can with what we have. After all, our teeth (and bones) will outlast our bodies.