Dental Checkups Are Truly Needed

When I was younger, I brushed my teeth but did not floss or anything like that. Just toothbrush on teeth. I think I saw a dentist maybe two or three times during my childhood. After I graduated and joined the Air Force, I went to a dentist more frequently (once a year). After my four years of service, in 1994, I never went back to a dentist. I don't like going and got it in my stubborn head that I didn't need one. From that point until the end of 2010 I never saw a dentist. I brushed my teeth good and felt I just didn't need a dentist. Well in 2010, my gums started bugging me. My wife asked me how long it had been since I had been to a dentist. It took me a while to answer that question... not enough fingers and toes :P

She set me up an appointment and after a quick examination, was told I had Periodontal Disease. I was shocked... disease?? You mean to tell me there is no cure except to really crack down on flossing, brushing, rinsing fifty times a day (slight exaggeration)?? Anyway, after two hours of the dentist scraping, drilling, and laser cleaning my teeth, I had a fresh start. A fresh start where I must religiously clean my teeth to get my gums healthy. I got to tell you, it's a real pain. It takes five minutes to floss, brush with a sonic toothbrush, and rinse your teeth. I used to brush my teeth in like two minutes thinking I was doing a wonderful job. Clearly brushing is not enough. Some of you are laughing, saying duhhh. This post is not for you :) This post is for someone as stubborn as me that hasn't been to a dentist in years. Get yourself to a dentist and keep going for the rest of your life. You can thank me later when the dentist tells you, you made it just in time before the disease kicked in. Then floss, brush, and rinse to keep yourself healthy and there will be much less drilling, scraping, and laser cleaning to do.

To really drill this point home (no pun intended), after the two hours of cleaning and after the numbness wore off, I was sensitive to hot and cold for three or four weeks. I'm talking grinding, sharp, stop you in your tracks pain! Instead of going to the dentist once a year like everyone should do, I must go every three months. As you can tell, you don't get out of anything not going to the dentist for years. It will get you in the end and you will match and then surpass all the time you missed. Take it from someone with experience, you do not want to go through this!