Guard Your Grill

No one thinks about their teeth when they're 10 years old. We foolishly think we'll have them forever, and without regular visits to the dentist to scare us straight, many of us float on - in an "ignorance is bliss-like" fog- until the walls come crashing down around us. Tooth loss at 39 is so not cool.

I've had a sweet-tooth for as long as I can remember, and that translated into going to bed, many a night without brushing the old choppers. Flossing? That wasn't even a thought for me, back in 1981. Truth be told, I didn't start flossing until...a few years ago.

In hindsight, what should have been an eye opening dental experience for me, in 2003, was treated like an isolated incident, completely unrelated to my lack of dental diligence. I was standing in my kitchen talking with my wife, Snickers bar in hand, when I went to bite down and felt a grenade go off in my mouth. The pain was UNBEARABLE. Seriously, I almost passed out. It turns out that I took off the bottom of a weakened, decaying, wisdom tooth, biting down with 150 psi.

The frantic search for an open dentist on a Saturday afternoon was almost comical. After a harrowing three hours I was back home, with one less tooth. This should have served as what Oprah refers to as an "Ah Ha moment."

Before settling in back home, one might have thought I would have done a little shopping first. I should have walked through my door armed to the teeth with a:

• five gallon drum of super-duper plaque & tartar removing tooth-paste, 
• ten year supply of floss,
• motorized toothbrush and replacement heads,
• water pic

Ten years later, I finally got the message: I'm brushing and flossing a few times a day. But, this is after seven extractions (includes 4 wisdom teeth and 1 unsuccessful Root Canal Therapy), and two more upcoming Root Canal Therapies. I'm fortunate, the extractions I've had done are not easily noticed. How would I deal with missing my "Eye Teeth?" I guess I'd have to tell people I was a hockey player.  

Thanks to a great dentist and dental implants, I'll be flashing a full smile in another three months. I kick myself when I think of how I neglected my teeth all these years. Of course I point to myself as I talk to my young daughters about the benefits of regular brushing and flossing; I think they're getting the point.