dental woes ...

When I was a kid, I always wanted braces. For some odd reason I thought they were cool. Unfortunately, well perhaps fortunately for my parents, I had straight teeth (aside from one slightly turned tooth, which was fixed with a retainer).

The healthy of my teeth is another story.

As a kid, I remember getting fillings in my baby teeth. As a teen, I got a clean slate when all my adult teeth came in. I had zero cavities. Every checkup was a breeze. I gloated about how well I took care of my teeth.

Then I went to college. And I stopped going to the dentist. For like 6 years.

Can you see where this is going?

Finally, after having Dizzle, we moved to Virginia and I found a new dentist. Over the course of two years, I had 14 cavities.

I tried everything. Brushing more. Flossing more. Fluoride treatments. Nothing helped.

I had minimal plaque buildup and healthy gums, but my teeth kept failing me.

Yesterday, I had another five cavities filled (with two more next week). I couldn't feel my face for seven hours. Now I am sore enough to make eating anything that requires chewing a challenge. Oh, and cold isn't exactly my friend right now.

So, I asked my dentist what else I could do. And do you know what she said, "Just keep doing what you're doing. And we'll just keep checking. But, honestly, I just think you have genetically weak teeth."

Are you kidding me? At this rate, I'm not going to have any natural surfaces on my teeth in two years. In fact, if nothing is going to prevent these cavities and subsequent drilling sessions, maybe I should just have them all pulled and replaced with fake teeth. At least those don't get cavities.