I have this horrifying recurring dream. Or maybe I should say nightmare. It changes in detail, but the gist of it is that my teeth start falling out. I'll be flossing or something and start noticing my tooth is loose. And then another one is loose. And they get more and more loose until they fall out. One after another after another. And I can actually feel the tender mushy flesh where my teeth used to be after the teeth fall out.
It creeps me out.
Those dreams have definitely helped encourage me to be an avid teeth-brusher. And I'm working on the flossing thing. One of my goals this year is to floss daily. I'd say I'm at about 75% success on that. At night, I'm lazy. I brush my teeth and don't want to spend the extra 3 to 5 minutes flossing (sad, I know). So I've started brushing and flossing mid-day. Makes it so I'm more hit than miss.
Those dreams also keep me making -- and keeping -- my 6-month teeth cleanings. And that's just what I did today. I had my preventative care appointment. Which makes me ever so grateful I live in a time when dental care is a topic of importance. I'm grateful we know how important tooth-care is to our general health. I'm grateful that there are dentists and dental hygienists who care about helping people take care of their teeth! I'm grateful for technology and knowledge that allows cavities to be filled before they become horror stories.
And I'm grateful for dental insurance. It helps me keep those appointments, because most of the time, if it's just a routine visit, the cleaning is covered at 100%. During the times when I didn't have dental insurance and didn't feel I could afford even the cost of the cleaning, I would let those appointments lapse. Which isn't really the best plan, but sometimes... Well, sometimes you make sacrifices becasue you must. I'm also grateful that, when it's not routine (though recently this hasn't been an issue... another thing for which I am grateful!), my insurance usually covers a large portion of whatever the cost is for fixing a problem.
Because, frankly, I'm grateful for my teeth too. And I hope to keep them for all my life. And to not have the horrors of my nightmares become reality!
And I'm grateful that I can, because of dental insurance, also begin preparing to give good dental care to my daughter. And I'm grateful to have a sister-in-law who is a dental hygienist and who gave us a little toothbrush and a finger sock to brush our munchkin's teeth until she's old enough to use the toothbrush. And I love that my sweet girl already knows what it means when I don that sock on my finger and hold it up to her mouth. She opens wide and lets me do the brushing!
What are you grateful for today?
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