dental hygienist

I Have Deep Pockets

FandangoLeave a comment
BERJAYA

Aren’t you happy for me? Sounds wonderful, right? Well, unfortunately it’s not what it sounds like. Let me explain.

I went to the dentist yesterday for the first time in almost three years (thank you COVID) and the news wasn’t good. I had a significant tartar accumulation, especially around my bottom front teeth. I also have a cavity filling that is deteriorating and needs to be replaced. But if that’s not enough, also have what the dentist referred to as “deep pockets,” also known as “periodontal pockets.”

When there is plaque or tartar around or below the gum, it starts to pull away, creating a deeper pocket due to inflammation and swelling from the bacteria. This is when the gum starts to have “pockets” deeper than three millimeters, which indicate some form of gum disease.

BERJAYA

The dental hygienist used some sort of medieval torture instrument to measure my pockets and most of them were in the four to five millimeter range, with an occasional six millimeter pocket just for good measure.

The hygienist spent nearly an hour torturing me in order to clean away most of the tartar on and around my teeth, but I have to go back in two weeks two have part two of the cleaning and for a remeasuring of my pockets. And also to have that decomposing filling replaced.

I can hardly wait!

All About Cavities

Fandango4 Comments

 

Image result for no brain

I was going to write a post in response to today’s one-word prompt, “cavity,” with a snarky post about how Trump supporters have a cavity in their heads where their brains should be.heart cavity

Or perhaps how Donald Trump, his GOP enablers in Congress, his big business cronies, and his Russian backers have a cavity in their chests where their hearts should be.

But then I thought better of it because, well, I have good teeth. The last time I had a cavity was when I was ten years old. And I’m now quite a bit older than ten.

I did have to wear braces during my teen years. And because I inherited relatively large teeth from my father and a relatively small jaw, courtesy of my mother, I had to have four teeth extracted in order to get my large teeth to properly align in my small mouth.

Unlike most people I know, I don’t mind going to the dentist. During my twice yearly visits, the dental hygienist scrapes the accumulated plaque from my teeth and shines them up. Easy peasy and relatively painless.

Then the actual dentist comes in, checks everything out, tells me it all looks good, and then complains that he’s not making any money off of my mouth.

I bet he voted for Trump.