Whiter Pearly-Whites

My pearly-whites done good.  Or, maybe it was I who done (did) good (well)--sorry, sometimes good grammar has no punch at all.  The first of all the Things I get to do today is head off to the dentist for that twice yearly checkup and cleaning.  But now I'm back (patting myself on my back).  I had a great time there, though this appointment included measuring the pockets around and between the teeth.

The flashy flower that started it all.

For once, and this undoubtable the very first time, there was no underlying guilt or dread attached to revealing the inside of my mouth.  Since the first part of October, my mouth and teeth have been getting much finer care and attention.  See "Tooth Fairy Flower," of  10/9/11, "I Want to Keep Them All," 11/22/11, and "Tea Tree Teeth," 1/15/12 for details of the full journey up to now.

After describing my new oral hygiene regimen to the dental hygienist, we both waited eagerly as she checked the pockets around each tooth.  Cheers erupted four or five times as areas that were "4" now measured "3" or less with no bleeding gums. And it took hardly any time at all to remove tartar (less pain for me) since those deposits were smaller and thinner.

Whiter Pearlies

So it looks like I'm committed to the program.  It took a long while to fully engage my energy on this one.  I'm hearing the Beatles in my own version of "Will you still brush me, will you still floss me, when I'm 64?"  Oh, Yes, Baby!  I'm planning to stay with you forever.

Thank you Dr. Julie Furber and Dr. Elisabeth Kierkegaarde for all your encouragement.

Tea Tree Teeth

I haven't checked with either one of my dentists.  The first one to read this can give me a professional opinion.  I'm willing to publish it for the good of human kind and their collective teeth.

Most tooth paste has way too much "flavor" for my tender mouth.  I've been using really mild ones; fennel or anise feels better than peppermint.  As part of my dental hygiene routine, I've been using one of those little water-sprayer devices.  Before filling it with warm water, I put in a teaspoon of salt and one or two drops of tea tree oil.  Using this solution over my teeth, gums and the space between my teeth feels like a good thing.  No bleeding gums when I do this regularly.

Tea Tree tooth powder

My distant dentist published on her professional FB page notes about the possibility of toothpaste being too abrasive and wearing the gums and the tooth enamel.  So I thought I'd try an experiment.  My mother used to make us use salt and soda for brushing our teeth when I was little.  I didn't like it.  What if I used soda, with a lesser amount of Real Salt and a few drops of tea tree oil?  I'm quite sure that even though soda is slightly abrasive (it dissolves quickly), it is far less so than silica and the usual additives to regular toothpaste.

Best to use about half this amount.

I've been using the combination for about a week*.  My mouth feels fantastic and my teeth feel clean, clean, clean when I use this routine as part of the Things I get to do today. Tea tree oil is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal as well as being a topical anesthetic.  Toothpaste is not a big budget item, but this latest polishing powder is nearly free in comparison. So speak right up, Ms. Dentist.  Is soda with tea tree good for my mouth and teeth?

*I made up about 3/4 cup total: 1/2 cup soda, 3 Tablespoons of Real Salt and about 10 drops of tea tree oil.

From the "distant dentist"...This is a great non abrasive toothpaste and I'm sure the tea tree oil is an additive benefit. Dr. Julie Furber  See also:http://www.drjuliefurber.com/causes-tooth-wear/ 

Bloom of Winter

Pink is a color of hope.  Don't ask me why I know that, but when things are "in the pink," they are doing well.  When a person "pinks up," it's a sign of good health:  pink cheeks, pink in the finger nails.  So when I see pink at my front door in winter, I'm most certainly inspired.

Right next to the front porch grows a camellia bush.  It's had various shapes over the years as it and I work out a deal over how much space it can occupy.  It would like to crowd visitors off the porch, and that seems inhospitable to me.  It also, however, comes forth full of hope at the beginning of winter.  Buds, tight as little pebbles,  have been maturing for months.  Our first weeks of cold and frost slowed progress, but came early enough to spare the flowers.  Buds, closed tightly, are not fragile as are the petals fully exposed.

Photo by Julie Furber, DDS

With our recent rush of warm air, blossoms have thrown caution to the compost and are extravagantly, unashamedly, flashing their full glory--right here in front of God, neighbors, passers-by, and you.  Not concerned about the consequences or outcomes of their irrational display so close to possible browning, wilting frost and ridiculous odds, this Apple Blossom camellia uses the moment for this moment.  Do it now.  Do it deliciously.

Live my grandest vision and bloom in winter:  Things I get to do today.  Be brilliant, be vibrant, be alive. Be, be, be.  In the midst of general struggle, hard work, challenges, problems, we'd all feel better if someone, somewhere were blooming, holding hope, giving it their all and their best, living their highest right, refusing to give in to the cold, wet, dark winter in any form.  May your soul pink up with this bloom of winter.

I Want to Keep Them All

I have two dentists.  One I see twice a year for all the maintenance stuff.  The other I see about twice a year as well, but she's family, and we, just like you, seldom (never) do any dental work on family holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Instead we eat chocolates and sweets, enjoy ourselves and just generally have a grand time (brushing and flossing afterwards, of course).  Her office is in California, a long way from Oregon, so any dental work has to be special, just like the holidays.

My mouth has seen a ton of dental work--I believe "ton" is a technical dental term for the many hours I've spent in the chair over the years.  Repairs for decay and chips, root canals, caps and crowns had left me a rather mismatched and unique gathering of teeth .  I'm sure it made her fingers itch every time I opened my mouth.

Dr. Julie did my two front teeth and all visible teeth on
the right side (my left).

One day she tactfully volunteered that if I would get myself to her office, she would have a go at creating order and beauty with my visible top teeth.  So I did.  I can't tell you it was a picnic having three crowns and a bridge done in one day, but even the temporaries looked better than what I had.  And I went home a few days later with the best teeth I had ever seen.

Seldom does a day pass when I don't consciously appreciate what I see in the mirror, what my tongue feels, and what bites into my toast or an apple.  And now that I'm flossing that bridge, I don't feel the guilt of disregarding her gift to me: lovely teeth for a warm smile.   With my new commitment to flossing, I was a bit taken aback by a the first few words of a post on Dr. Julie's professional Facebook Page:  Did you know that you don't have to floss your teeth?  Dentists recommend that you floss only the ones you want to keep!

Things I get to do today: brush and floss those pearly whites, take really good care of them and say thank you.  So here it is:  Thanks--to you, Julie Furber, DDS, Yucaipa, California.