Brush Brush Floss

I can't say I'm surprised...but definitely wasn't happy to discover that I have 6 cavities that I need to get fixed when I went to the dentist today for a cleaning. 

I was kinda expecting an uptick in cavities mostly because my state was stupid and passed a bill banning fluoride from our water. So like...there's gonna be an increase in cavities for sure because of that.

But also like...I'd noticed my floss catching on certain areas of my teeth while flossing.

So I figured I had at least two cavities if not three. 

But SIX?

Ugh. 

Five of them are on the top of my mouth too.

Which is different as most of the time it feels like the cavities seem to occur on my bottom teeth. 

*shrugs*

Probably would have gotten away with just five. 

But had pointed out that there was an area on my lower jaw where I was struggling to get floss between the teeth and the doctor was like "Oh it's because it looks like there's a filling that's loose there." And yep. He got that right out. 

So foo. 

Six fillings. 

It's been a while since I've had that many all together. 

Usually it's one or two when I do end up needing fillings done.

But hopefully they're all minor ones that are easy to fix.

It seems like they will be since they thought I would only need an hour to get all six done....so yah seems like they should be minor. 

We'll see though.

At least the main issue I was concerned about --that of having a bit of gingivitis going on...seems to be clearing up. My gums reacted a lot better this time around compared to last time. So at least my efforts to improve their health are helping. So woot! Just need to keep chugging along and get a couple stubborn areas back on the up and up.

But the hygienist also brought up a good point. 

Because she was asking how many times a day I brush my teeth. 

And I was like "Once at night." 

Because she asked if it was once or twice a day.

And I added in that it was because I can't stand the taste of toothpaste. 

Like the minty flavor is just nasty to me. 

So it makes it difficult to brush.

Though I have found a mild enough flavor to make it tolerable at the moment that I'm able to keep up an almost nightly routine now. It's only been when I've had migraines that I've forgone brushing because said migraines can be bad enough to trigger nausea and if I don't like the taste of mint on a good day I really don't like the taste of it on a bad day. 

But she was like "Have you tried children's toothpaste?"

And I was like "??? No?" Because I was focused on the more concerning issue of the gingivitis and finding a toothpaste that would help with my gum health but also help strengthen my teeth because again, my state was dumb and got rid of the fluoride in our water. So I was more focused on making sure I found a good toothpaste to help with those issues rather than the taste.

And she was like "Well....if you're struggling to brush your teeth...then the taste would be a bigger factor wouldn't it? Doesn't matter if the other toothpaste helps more if you're not using it." 

Which...really true. 

Like I found a mild enough flavor that I can tolerate it.

But if I hadn't....would it really be worth it to be dealing with nasty toothpaste taste if I'm not using it as much as I might be using it if I had grabbed a child's toothpaste with a flavor that I actually liked?

Like the dentist had Pina colada flavored toothpaste today and IT WAS AWESOME

Seriously. Why don't they sell that for adults? Why must adults have boring mint flavors? Or like the rare cinnamon flavor? Like....where's our bubblegum? Where's our berry? Where's our Pina colada? 

So yah. Next time I need to get toothpaste....I'm gonna check out the children's section and just see if there's any good flavors there and see if it makes a difference or not in my brushing habits.

Until you next find these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi