Thursday, December 11, 2008

Gotta Love Genetics

It's that time of year again ... technically that time of twice a year. Hmm that semi-annual time of year? Yeah, that sounds better. Dentist time.

The wee ones have been going to the dentist for awhile, and they don't hate it -- yet. They will in time, I'm sure. And we know it will either be because of me or because of my husband. Or maybe both. We've all got our issues, and right now it looks like Mister Man has my teeth (hopefully) and Little Miss has my husband's.

At three, I'm afraid she has cavities. Note that I used the plural there. When I brush her teeth, all of a sudden I thought she had food stuck in two lower molars. I brushed. I brushed some more. It was still there. It's been there for awhile now, but luckily next Wednesday is their dentist appointment (and yes, I have to take off work to take them thanks to my husband scheduling their appointments for when we'll be out of town). I have my fingers crossed that they aren't cavities, as three is awfully young to start (and yes, I've read all the statistics).

BUT.

We don't drink juice (ever, we're weird that way). We brush as we're supposed to. We don't eat gummy candy or hard candies. She eats a lot of cheese. If she has cavities, it's all on my husband and his mouth full of yuck.

Me? I have totally different issues.

I've never had a cavity. Ever. In 33 plus years. In fact, I think I'd freak out if I had a cavity and had to get it taken care of. I don't like things in my mouth, and I especially don't like things in my mouth that vibrate (take that as you will, you dirty minded people).

How do I know this? Well, that's where my issues come in. I have no wisdom teeth, and not because I've had them taken out at some point. I just was born with no wisdom teeth. I'm also missing a tooth just to the left of my front teeth on top and have a half tooth on the right side next to the front teeth.

In fact, that missing tooth was the only reason I had to have braces, as the permanent tooth for the one behind it came in where the missing tooth was supposed to be. Once it was moved into place, I had the worst dentist appointment ever.

Keep in mind that they had to pull the baby tooth before all this happened. And I made them use general anesthesia because I couldn't handle being awake while they worked in my mouth like that. Now I had to have new teeth put on and in. That's a lot of work in my mouth. Four hours of work in my mouth, if I remember correctly. And no, they wouldn't let me do general again for that (party poopers).

For four hours, they ground down the teeth on either side of where the fake tooth was going in. I could feel the heat created on those teeth as they were ground to dust. And that dust flew everywhere. For four hours (have I mentioned yet that it was a four hour visit?), dust went up my nose and made me sneeze -- which is not what you want to do when you have drills and other such fun tools in your mouth. The dust coated my tongue and went down my throat, making me gag.

I could smell it, I could taste it, and I could feel the vibration over and over and over. Long before they finally finished, I was shaking and in a cold sweat. I had that done when I was 14 or so. They aren't supposed to be permanent from what I've been told, and I should have them replaced, says my dentist. Umm, not likely. If and when they fall out, I'll replace them, but I am not voluntarily going through that again.

And Mister Man? He looks like he's got my nice strong teeth. I can only hope that he doesn't have the same missing and half tooth issues that I do. His sensory stuff? Wayyy worse than mine. He gags when he eats food with the wrong texture. Fortunately, we've got years before we need to start worrying about that.

In the meantime, wish the wee ones luck at the dentist next Wednesday!

14 comments:

Melisa Wells December 11, 2008 at 7:37 AM  

Good luck!

Remind me NOT to tell you in detail about the two--count 'em, TWO--gum graft surgeries I've had.

And I have a dentist appointment every 3 months because of them. :)

MaBunny December 11, 2008 at 8:05 AM  

Oh Michelle I know how you feel. I busted out a permanent tooth when I was about to enter 7th grade - I tried to eat a cement bleacher when I fell on it - long story short, I lost one of my permanent front teeth, and had to have braces to move my teeth, they capped one of my side teeth to look like my front tooth, and gave me a root canal on the other.
I hate the dentist.
Good luck with Little Misses teeth.
My dad always had yucky teeth too. my moms were pretty.

MaBunny December 11, 2008 at 8:58 AM  

Oh yeah, there is an award waiting for you on my blog! Come and get it!

Sandra December 11, 2008 at 9:11 AM  

Wow wee! My gag reflex is horrible too!

Never had a cavity??? Unreal!

Teeth problems are hereditary...

My hubby has never had a cavity either, and he's 44!

Anonymous December 11, 2008 at 11:01 AM  

The grinding, the dust, ewwww...I'm wincing just thinking of your experience.

And all that grinding is exactly why I would never get veneers.

La Pixie December 11, 2008 at 11:58 AM  

I hate the dentist with a passion. I dont think I could have handled 4 (it was 4, right?) hours of that. I think I would have freaked out! Im crossing my fingers for your babies!!

J Cosmo Newbery December 11, 2008 at 5:34 PM  

I read somewhere that you should try to reframe a dentist's visit as a sort of sexual experience and enjoy it.

I tell you, it can backfire and doesn't half take the edge off a sexual encounter if you get it wrong!

angela | the painted house December 11, 2008 at 9:20 PM  

Oh, man, you are making me cringe!!!

I'm so jealous of the snow you have...except for when I go to the store or get my mail without a jacket. But I want to sled! I want to embrace a mug of cocoa while watching the snow drift down. But I don't want to shovel my driveway. I will just admire your beautiful snow from afar!

Mandy December 12, 2008 at 6:17 PM  

I hope things turn out ok! How far apart are your kids? Ours are 15 months...they are 4 and the other will be 3 in Feb.

Aunt Julie December 12, 2008 at 8:58 PM  

I'm right in the middle of having 3 crowns put in to fix my three cracked teeth. I grind my teeth when I sleep, but I can't believe I ground them hard enough to crack them! Anyway, the crowns, shall we say, are not the most pleasant experience!

Michelle December 13, 2008 at 12:41 AM  

Melisa - Too late. The husband of a good friend had gum graft surgery, and I got to hear alllll about it at a Sox game. He had his because he brushed his teeth TOO well!

MaBunny - Ouch! That sounds painful. Funny how such an innocent little thing like falling makes such a huge long term difference. I'll come look for the award soon. I haven't had time to read blogs (work issues - 13% layoffs on Thurs -- and now Little Miss being sick), but I'll check as soon as I get back on track! Thanks!

Aundra - Wow, kudos to your husband! And yeah, the gag thing is not good. I really feel for the poor kid. Me, I just go nuts internally but can control it beyond gagging; he actually gets physically sick.

Blueviolet - Yeah, it's an attractive post, isn't it? Lovely thoughts all the way around.

La Pixie - Thanks for the good wishes. And yes, it was four hours ;)

J Cosmo Newbery - Ummm, yeah. I'll try to keep that in mind. Or maybe not.

Angela - Sorry! And you've totally got the right attitude. That's exactly how I like snow. And if I want snow, I would hop on a plane to Colorado, enjoy it for five days and come home to my nice warm home. Unfortunately, my life doesn't quite work that way!

Mandy - The wee ones are 22 months apart. My sister and I are 15 months apart, and given the stories my mom has told (and what I've experienced), hats off to you for surviving them so close together ;)

Veggie Mom - Ohhhh, you poor thing! The whole grinding thing has to be frustrating because you don't even know you're doing it, nor can you stop yourself. Here's hoping the rest of your crown work goes well. My mom has a lot of crowns, and I know hers were NOT fun at all. Good luck!

Cookie December 13, 2008 at 3:00 PM  

I hope your dentist is a cutie like mine. That makes the trips to the dentist at least a little bit enjoyable ;)

Karen December 14, 2008 at 6:32 AM  

I hope the kids don't need any dental work done after all. I do know that they've completely redone the way cavities are filled now and it's not such a big, scary ordeal.

Michelle December 14, 2008 at 3:30 PM  

Cookie - Ummm, no. The wee ones' dentist is a woman, and mine -- though nice - would not fall into the cutie category. Bummer, huh?

Karen - Ohh, so do I! Especially after the fun of this weekend! Glad to know they're changed how cavities are done now. I've heard such horror stories from people. Ick!

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