Dental hygiene

So, prior to being diagnosed with sarcoidosis last year, I was in the middle of a heavy-duty regimen of dental care repairing the effects of being too long without dental insurance on my gums. (Kids, don’t try this at home.)

I was just at the end when I went into the hardcore downward spiral, and missed my follow-up appointments and all the rest. (I was actually in surgery on the day I should have been getting my teeth looked at, if I remember correctly.) My illness precluded really focusing on getting back in the swing of things for several months. Today, I went back for my first cleaning since the operation. It didn’t go great — I’m feeling pretty thrashed right now after all the digging around in my mouth with The Hook of Doom and all the rest.

I did learn, from my horse-crazy hygienist, that horses can get sarcoidosis. I now have to come to terms with the realization that I will never run in the Kentucky Derby.

6 Comments »

1. I feel for you, and I cannot stress how important it is to make sure your dental coverage has some sort of gum component to it, especially if, like me, you hate flossing and very rarely use a rubber tip pointy thing as a substitute….

   In the last two years, I’ve had normal cleanings (minor annoyance), root scalar cleanings (basically, the next step in which they go beneath the gum line to clean roots of teeth… Yes, it’s just as psychologically gruesome as it sounds), and GUM GRAFTS done to shore up receding gum lines.

   Let’s talk about that last one some more. Imagine your gum line is receding down away from teeth and exposing teeth roots. Painful. Now imagine that you can’t pull those gums back up. So what do you do?

   You go to a dentist with more degrees and advanced training than God. He numbs your whole mouth. He makes incisions below the receding gum line to relieve the pulling stress on your gums. He then takes 2 strips of flesh from your upper palate…

   Yes, 2 strips of flesh from your upper palate…

   … and then uses them as grafts, placing one in each incision. He then stitches them in with dissolving sutures, tells you not to look at them because they will be disturbingly gross (and by that, I mean looking like a hellishly yellow band of what must be necrotic flesh, yet isn’t), and gives you a temporary retainer to wear at all times that protects your upper palate for a week while it grows back/scars over.

   And then, he brings the Happy. A big RX of Vicodin.

   The lesson here? Get a Sonic Care toothbrush. Use it religiously. Floss, or at least use stimudents (basically dentist-approved tooth picks) or the pointy rubber tip thing.

   Or things will get bad. Not sarciodosis bad. But bad enough.

   Oh, and Vicodin? Delicious.

   Comment by John — March 1, 2006 @ 8:54

2. My dentist warning me that youth wasn’t on my side any more didn’t exactly motivate me, but after reading all that, I’m gonna start carrying floss in my back pocket, my office drawer, and in my car.

   Comment by Jenn — March 1, 2006 @ 12:13

3. “My dentist warning me that youth wasn’t on my side any more didn’t exactly motivate me, but after reading all that, I’m gonna start carrying floss in my back pocket, my office drawer, and in my car.”

   This is what I’m saying. Its amazing how much an extra minute or two spent on your teeth every day literally will improve your dental health.

   Not that I wold ever admit that to my dentist. Smug bastard.

   Hi Jenn!

   J

   Comment by John — March 1, 2006 @ 22:55

4. I think I need remedial electric toothbrush training. I have one recommended by my dentist, but it doesn’t feel like it’s accomplishing anything.

   Comment by Beau — March 7, 2006 @ 7:42

5. Beau, have you ever had a Hep B shot? Kate is having adverse reactions to her shots, and I’ve been looking them up and I keep finding all of these reactions to Hep B vaccines like rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, and other autoimmune reactions. Have you ever looked into that possibility?

   Comment by Jenn — March 9, 2006 @ 23:36

6. Hmmm. I might have, years ago. They stuck me full of needles before I moved to Egypt, and that certainly could be a possibility. I’ll ask those that might remember.

   Comment by Beau — March 9, 2006 @ 23:43

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