It hasn't been pretty.
Gums swollen and bleeding - phenytoin's side effect.
Teeth broken and chipped ~ well intentioned actions to keep me from 'swallowing my tongue'.
Jaw bone receding because of periodontal disease, teeth loose and tender.
Tongue cut and bleeding more times than I care to remember - fortunately healing on it's own after each seizure.
Most of it fixable.
Setting to work from the 1970’s onwards ~
Periodontists to repair gums
Dental hygienists to keep teeth free and clear
Dentists to
extract,
fill,
cap,
build a bridge on top
implant teeth on the bottom
Grateful to my parents for yearly visits to the dentist,
sitting still in a dentist chair was old hat for me!
Brushing my teeth after meals begins my prevention plan.
A small kit of tools in my home arsenal for oral care includes:
toothbrush,
sulcrabrush
rubber tip tool
dental floss (one I've long resisted!)
water pic
tiny spiral brush for between my teeth
Caring for my teeth and gums so
I can chew food to eat effectively
and ready food for easy digestion
smile easily ~
Oral care is really a full time job.
“To be able to invite pain to join in my experience and not
have to control my life to avoid pain is such a freedom!"
~ Christina Baldwin
Author's note: Edited August 14, 2024
2 comments:
I so relate to all the dental issues. We did get Mom's teeth and gums not Dad's. I have been through a lot of dentistry again over the last couple of years and also have a little arsenal of dental paraphernalia. Mom's dental genes plus the ravages of epilepsy equal a lot of stress. Gotta love that water pick
Sorry, I keep repeating myself, but this is another very courageous and lovely post. The photograph is soft yet strong, as your poem is, that describes your dedicated work to fight off the assaults of epilepsy! The title, and the "arsenal for oral care" - great!
Kathy, I echo your wish for stronger teeth, more like Dad. It seems I have a combination. I, like both of you have a growing shelf of dental 'stuff'. I am not a assiduous as you, Sue, I shall have to improve, it is worth it!
Sue, I echo your appreciation of the good dental care our parents made certain we got as children.
Only older people would even have this conversation.
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