Anyways, lets rewind to almost 4 years ago right before my wedding. Also known as the last time I went to the dentist. My wisdom teeth had started to grow in and they were rather bothersome. I went for a visit and it unfolded something like this...
Dentist: "Everything looks good! You should probably get those pulled sometime when they grow in a bit more, but no other issues"
Me: "Yay! I never need to go to the dentist again!"
Now let's travel back a couple weeks, while I was packing up for our trip and my mouth suddenly felt like I was biting into a Popsicle while simultaneously being punched in the mouth. After discovering my tooth was chipped (how the hell??) and realizing I was forming a bad ibuprofen habit to kill the pain, I decided I should probably go to the dentist. I thought to myself " ah shucks, my lucky teeth streak has ended" and figured I would probably have to get a filling or some mild procedure. No big deal right?
Well it did not exactly play out so simply. I had an x-ray done and he poked around in my mouth for a bit and then said "So is the pain excruciating? Do you need me to prescribe pain killers?". Apparently my tooth was rotted to the bone. TO THE BONE! He starts talking about different options and saying lots of dental words like root canal, and crown and cap. I listen and look dumb and then inform him that he must be looking at the wrong x-ray because I have perfect teeth. Then he kindly suggests that the only way to efficiently correct the problem is to extract my tooth. What? I have never had so much as a tiny filling and I need a tooth removed? Immediately visions of meth heads flashed before my eyes. We of course discussed other options, but in the end, he was right. The tooth had to go. I sent a text to my husband informing him of this misfortune. He replied " Babe, no big deal. You would still look hott even if you had no teeth". I praised him for his kindness and his ability to lie so sweetly.
I got home, was super bummed and pouted for a long while. Overall I was pretty upset with myself. Although the dentist did say he thought the situation was a bit of an anomaly and possibly unpreventable, (because I was not in pain for more than 2 weeks it seemed like the tooth somehow rotted extremely quickly?) I felt stupid for neglecting to do something as simple as going to the dentist for routine check ups. Now don't think for a second I am above the superficial aspect of this whole thing and was not concerned about missing a tooth. Of course I was! We have all had that dream where we lose a tooth and wake up in a panic and check real quick to make sure they are all still there right? Well I would be waking up from that nightmare soon and my tooth would definitely not be there! I was extremely concerned about how I would look and a good portion of my pouting was in regards to ruining my award winning smile. ( JK guys. But seriously...) And I just felt embarrassed.
Embarrassed that I was neglectful, embarrassed that I would be missing a tooth and just overall insecure about the whole thing.
Now this brings us to yesterday afternoon, when the tooth was finally taken out. The procedure was pretty painless (thanks to a really great dentist) and other than an extremely numb face that prevented me to show real emotion (is this what botox is like?) or eat for awhile, everything went pretty smoothly. For now I will wear a retainer and sometime in the hopefully near future have a dental implant put in, so I thankfully won't have to walk around with a visibly missing space. I was not going to talk about this at all. I was seriously so upset about the whole thing and other than my family, I preferred that no one knew.
But you know I figured, why be ashamed and feel embarrassed over it? I don't want to walk around always concerned that someone will notice and constantly being conscience of it and making myself feel uncomfortable. Plus, I started to feel like after having the procedure done I would somehow be considered less classy or ladylike and that made me feel the most silly and ashamed. Isn't it crazy that one little tooth could totally shake my confidence? So I am going to chalk this up to another little life lesson, yell at my mom for her poor parenting skills (love you mom!), and move on.
Besides, no one can make you feel embarrassed if you embarrass yourself first...so here goes nothing...
*if you read this whole story, I am sorry. I will send you some floss.
8 comments:
i'll be waiting for my floss. ;)
seriously though, no biggie! You look fine. If anything it adds character!
You're still adorbs. And I still need to go to the dentist :-/
Oh my god, that is TERRIFYING. (Not your tooth being missing in the pic, just the entire ordeal.) Starting my crisis job this year made me a FREAK about my teeth...I literally brush my teeth 2-3 times a day. I'm terrified of the dentist but after a difficult filling this year I promised myself I'd NEVER slack on dental care.
With an implant you'll be all brand new and shiny :)
Okay. I am making a dentist appt. today. Also, I will knock someone's tooth out if they say anything mean to you about this. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! xo!
you ladies are all too kind!! thankfully it is not visible with the retainer. haha
Ohh, it's sad that your tooth had to go. But at least it made you realize how important dentists are in our lives. Well, I'd better visit my dentist too! =D
A lot of people don’t go to the dentist regularly, but it is recommended that we must visit our dentist every six months. This is for us to maintain good oral hygiene and to make sure that our teeth are healthy. Brushing is not enough. You must go to the dentist for checkups and dental cleaning. It will also help you determine if there are any problems with your teeth and what treatment would you need to rectify the issue.
Well, your smile still looks great even though you lost a tooth. When do you plan to get a dental implant? I’m sure your teeth will become more beautiful after the treatment since you will have a complete set of teeth again! ;)
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