.damn.dreaded.dentist.

i knew it would happen. but i just kept procrastinating. too scared to do something. but that weight on my shoulder just kept getting heavier and heavier. and as it got heavier, the more scared i got. so it's a catch 22. but i finally just did it today. yes, that's right. i dragged my sorry ass over to the dentist for my first cleaning in...well, let's just say a LONG time and leave it at that. so needless to say, my teeth are hurting right now. i saw some blood on my hygenist's gloves, so that's where it started. i found out too many things that i need to be doing with my teeth, and because i don't want any of you lovely people to neglect your gums, i'll share them with you here. although, most of you probably know the following because your parents instilled good dental hygiene within your lifestyle (my parents did not), but this can be a little reminder to what you need to do to keep those pearly whites glistening:

1. Floss, Floss, Floss
2. if you drink britta water, or insist on drinking filtered water, you're probably not getting enough fluoride washing over your choppers. so you have to rinse for 1 minute with Act or some other fluoride treatment every night. and you can't eat anything afterwards, so do it right before you go to bed. well, you have to let it soak at least 1/2 hour before you eat anything, so if you want to rinse earlier in the day, then it's all good.
3. Floss, Floss, Floss. some suggest that you should floss before you brush your teeth so you can brush away the loosened dirt and bacteria that may be covering your teeth. either way, just make sure you floss, ya heard? floss your gums out!

and here's a little tip i learned from my friend who's in dental school:
1. you should only use toothbrushes that have Soft bristles. these are the only ones approved by the ADA. you may think that the soft bristles don't brush well enough, but if you use the medium or hard bristles, those are just scraping the enamel off your teeth. if you use the soft bristles, they work well, if you brush your teeth for the recommended amount of time, which is 3 minutes. yes, this is a long time, but it'll save you the pain i went through today. ugh. blech.

so now i'm hurting and another weight has been places on my shoulders. i have to get all 4 wisdom teeth pulled out. and i have to get it done before i get 2 of my 4 cavities filled. help! i'm dumb! stupid! why didn't anyone make me go sooner?! why am i such a scardy cat?!? so i'm scheduled to get the first 2 filled in 2 weeks. and then i have to get my wisdom teeth pulled, wait a month, then come back in to fill in the other 2. i hope my insurance covers all this work.

the one good thing i will say is that they were very nice and scolded me in the nicest way possible. and my dentist is a nice young woman who probably just graduated and passed the boards within the last 2 years. so i'm happy about that. oh yes, another tip is that you should avoid those chewy sweets. chocolate is best! woohoo!

so i was going to drag myself to the gym this afternoon, but there's not enough time to do that and then come back and get ready to pick up aileen at 5PM. ok, so i'll work out tomorrow...promise. swear.

ouch. my teeth hurt.