the wonders of twenty-first–century technology

I had to get a crown today at the dentist's. A few weeks ago one of my molars was hurting me really bad, and so I went to a local dentist's office. I was told that one of my fillings was wearing away and that I had two fracture lines on the same molar; thus, I needed to get a crown. (Too bad crown doesn't mean something with diamonds. . . .)

Today was the day. I didn't bring my camera with me on purpose, because I did not want to document a Novocaine mouth. My appointment took about two hours from start to finish, and it went over without much of a hitch. Sure modern dentistry is top notch--I can't imagine not having such fixing procedures; however, today I was most grateful for another piece of twenty-first-century technology:


my iPod.

After the Novocaine settled into my mouth, I put in the ear phones in, turned up my Josh Kelley playlist, and tried not to focus on the various instruments being shoved into my mouth while the dentist drilled away.

I would turn down the music a bit when he wasn't drilling, because I didn't want to not hear anything he might try to tell me about my mouth; however, when the drill whined, I pumped up the volume and tried to drown out the scary sound of that drill. (I also closed my eyes the whole time so I wouldn't have to see anything that was being used to crown my tooth--ignorance is bliss when it comes to dental procedures.) Thank you Josh Kelley for distracting me from what was going on behind the Novocaine.

Acknowledging my gratitude for modern dentistry and mP3 players, I'm even more grateful that experience is OVER!

my new dental regimen

I honestly don't know why I'm posting about this, but it is something I've been doing diligently for a few months now, and I want something to post about. So, here I am telling you about my new routine, the routine imposed on me by my dentist, who was quite appalled with my gums a few months ago.


When I went to the dentist at the beginning of the summer, my teeth were hurting, and I thought that I had a cavity or two, which I was dreading. (I hate Novacain more than almost anything--it's tied with migraines.) I had my teeth cleaned and polished, and my mouth ended up bleeding and throbbing. The dentist looked at my teeth and said that I had "bulbous gums." How sick is that?! I was horrified.

The remedy for "bulbous gums," however, is pretty simple. I just have to floss (I know--I should have been flossing this whole time), swish with Listerine, and use Crest ProHealth toothpaste. So, now my tooth routine takes about triple the time, but it's worth it. Even though the Crest ProHealth toothpaste is not to my preference and flossing is a pain, my gums are no longer bulbous. I committed to another dentist appointment before I came back to school, and he was impressed by my great gum improvement. So, I continue to floss, brush, and swish. I'm a pro, and my gums are no longer bulbous.

This is Mom and me after successful trips to the dentist's--look at our clean, non-bulbous smiles!