by Gabriele Conrad, Goonellabah, Australia
My teeth used to really distress me, and visits to the dentist even more so. Not because I was scared, but because I just didn’t get teeth, this part of our body that does not regenerate. It felt like my teeth were aliens in my body and didn’t behave how they should, but ran their own agenda.
- You start with one filling and then you have more.
- You keep getting bigger fillings as new bits of decay appear.
- Bits of a tooth might break off requiring reconstructive work.
- A tooth comes out, and of course it doesn’t grow back and you get a bridge.
- Another tooth comes out and you decide you can’t afford the bridge and leave the gap; and also, it is at the back of your mouth. But chewing becomes a bit more difficult and uneven, food can get stuck and the teeth on either side of the gap start leaning across.
- More teeth come out and you need dentures or decide to have implants.
- Your gums are not looking that great, they bleed a lot and your teeth are sensitive.
- You want to have implants but there might be problems with the bones of your jaw.
And so the list goes on.
I found teeth depressing and visits to the dentist a bit of a downer. They do a great job and I haven’t really had any bad experiences at all, but the relentlessness of the deterioration, no matter how slow and well managed, together with the perpetual catch-up and “what’s the bad news?” flavour of each dental visit, never failed to put a dampener on me. Continue reading “My teeth and what they have taught me”