My Memories and Current Story Regarding Teeth

Preface

I found this in the list of open prompts.
#ForGoodTeeth
Oh, was 11/8 "Good Teeth Day"?
Speaking of teeth, I have stories without even having to rack my brain.
Well, with that in mind, I will write this essay.

Stories from my youth

When I was young, my teeth were crooked.
I forget which side it was, but one tooth near my canine was protruding forward toward the gum.
Since it was a different kind of protrusion than a snaggletooth, I thought to myself while looking in the mirror during my student days, "I'm pretty sure this isn't a snaggletooth..." but since I had no cavities and only had contact with dentists during school checkups, I never consulted a dentist about it.
I mean... even to an amateur's eye, it was a strange alignment, right? Surely they would just pull it out.
My teeth were crooked, but I could chew normally. Since it wasn't hindering my daily life, there was no need to voluntarily face a painful experience, right?

After graduating high school, entering junior college, and before turning twenty... I was born in March, so I guess I was 18 or 19, I forget, but somewhere around there.
On my way home from school, walking down the street, a tooth fell out without any warning.
There was a foreign object in my mouth, and when I spat it into my palm, it was a tooth.

"Whoaaaaa!"

Having a tooth fall out at such a young age was nothing but terrifying.
At that time, I was living away from my parents to attend junior college and was staying with relatives, but I didn't have the mental capacity to go home and consult my family, so I ran into the dentist's office right in front of me, half-crying, holding the tooth and saying, "My tooth suddenly fell out!"

The diagnosis: "Don't worry. It was just a baby tooth that came out."

Huh?

"Only one baby tooth remained without falling out even after the new tooth grew in. I think your teeth were crooked because of that baby tooth staying put. It will look nice after a while."
In the nuances of the doctor's words, I could see through to the sentiment that if I had consulted someone the moment I noticed the crookedness, the baby tooth could have been removed a bit sooner...

A-a baby tooth... Now that I think about it, it didn't hurt at all when it came out (and there wasn't much blood either).

Stories from my late 20s

When I got married, my mother told me, "Usually your teeth get worse when you have a baby, so you should go for a dental checkup before you get pregnant."
When I asked her why she said that, she replied,
"You can't get anesthesia if you have a baby in your belly. If they find bad teeth, you'll have to have them pulled without anesthesia."

Being a scaredy-cat, I went immediately to a private dental clinic near where I lived after getting married. It was a different place from the dentist mentioned earlier.
Come to think of it, that might have been my first regular dental checkup since becoming an adult.
"I don't have any cavities, but my mother told me this..."
When I said that, the head doctor replied, "Many people get wisdom tooth pain when they get pregnant. If they aren't growing in the right direction, pain occurs, and since you can't take medicine, you end up having to get them pulled."
Oof. It was the right decision to listen to my parents.

And at this time, I was made to realize that as a petite person, my skeletal structure is also small. The instrument used to open my mouth wide for the X-ray wouldn't fit...
"Aga-ga-ga"
"Are you really, seriously opening your mouth?" (The relentless dental hygienist...)
(I am~. It's impossible, my mouth is going to rip!) While screaming in my heart, to me saying "aga-aga," the head doctor watching from the side said,
"Oh dear. You're one of those people it doesn't fit. Well, you're petite, so your skeletal structure must be small. It can't be helped."
I thought, thank goodness for a kind doctor... but that was only for a moment.
"Let's open your mouth in the X-ray room. I'll do it, so bring the instrument."
As expected, I ended up having the instrument put in my mouth. My jaw was already hurting, though (tears).
"Please open your mouth as wide as you possibly can with all your might. We can't do the X-ray without the instrument. I'll take it out as soon as the shot is done. It'll be for an instant. Okay, do your best."
While saying relentless things so casually, the head doctor himself performed everything from inserting the instrument to taking the X-ray.

The diagnosis: "You have four wisdom teeth. But except for the bottom right one, they are coming in sideways, so shall we pull three of them?"
I forget how long it took to pull them. I don't think I pulled all three at once... maybe I pulled them in two sessions?

"Some people (doctors) use a method of pulling all the wisdom teeth, but that's because they are prone to cavities. Personally, I don't want to pull healthy teeth that are growing in straight."
I asked why he left one wisdom tooth. Impressed by this explanation, I decided I wanted to keep going to this dentist forever.
"You don't have any cavities. I think it's your constitution. But people like you are prone to periodontal disease, so please get brushing instructions. Ms. So-and-so (the dental assistant), please take care of the rest~"

It seems people without cavities tend to brush their teeth haphazardly and almost always end up with periodontal disease. Yeah, I have too many guilty consciences about that.
"If you learn the correct way to brush your teeth now, I don't think you'll get periodontal disease during your pregnancy. Let's do our best together."

I went for brushing instructions for a while, then it became a regular checkup every three months, and eventually, after checkups every six months... before I knew it, after skipping the six-month checkup, I didn't go to the dentist at all in my 30s.

Now that I am middle-aged

In my 30s, without ever getting pregnant...
Having been given the seal of approval that I had a constitution resistant to cavities, I spent my days with peace of mind.
One day in my 40s, my back tooth started to hurt.
I took over-the-counter painkillers, but they didn't work.
As someone who suffers from stiff shoulders, I predicted, "I think this pain is coming from my stiff shoulders..."
When I explored the back with my tongue, I felt like my gums were swollen...

Ah... Which one is it? Stiff shoulders?? Periodontal disease???

Pain that medicine doesn't work on is tough. Even though it had been a long time, I decided to go to the dentist to do something about the pain.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
The head doctor said after looking at my chart.
It was a reunion after about 10 years.
"You don't have any cavities. Ah... but it's swollen, your gums. I wonder if germs got in."
After this, I was handed over to the dental assistant, my periodontal pockets were checked, and my mouth was covered in blood.

The diagnosis: "Your periodontal pockets are too deep (there were 8-10). You are on the verge of periodontal disease. Let's practice correct brushing to tighten your gums. I'll inject antibiotics into the swollen back gums."

Correct way to brush... I feel like I was told this a few years ago too...
Since I am a natural-born slacker, after I stopped going to the dentist, I lived my life brushing my teeth haphazardly.
Oof. It seems the consequences have come back to haunt me here.

After this, my gums stopped hurting in less than a week, but I was given instructions for preventing periodontal disease and ended up going to the dentist once a month.
Every time I go, they check my periodontal pockets.
They poke around each tooth and measure the depth.
"10, 10, 9, 8, 8..."
With the numbers being read out, I am made to realize that my gums are loosening...
Anyway, it hurts, that thing.
"Bleeding everywhere."
Since you're poking me with a needle, of course it's going to bleed.
While cursing inwardly and blinking my teary eyes, I listen to the dental assistant.
"Your gums are swollen overall, so please use a soft toothbrush. Use the toothbrush not so much to polish your teeth, but for the purpose of tightening your gums."
Understood.

Alongside the monthly brushing instructions, having learned that my periodontal pockets were deep, I changed my toothpaste.
My impression of using medicated toothpaste is that, as expected of something with medicated ingredients, it tastes terrible. Brushing time is overwhelmingly not fun.
After searching for something that suited my mouth, I found Systema: Haguki Plus was good, so I decided to keep using that.
And, a few months later.
"8, 5, 3, 3, 2..."
?!
"Bleeding... only on numbers 6 and 7."
Whoa?! Wasn't it supposed to bleed everywhere?!
"That's amazing. You did your best. The depth is still there, but your gums have tightened!"
Whoa. The power of toothpaste with a gum-tightening effect is amazing.

"Thanks to your gums tightening, it has become easier to remove the plaque inside."
After having the tartar removed, I moved to the next stage.
"Besides a toothbrush, please use an interdental brush. Insert it vertically like this..."
The dental assistant asks for something quite hard, telling me to insert it vertically into the gap between the teeth and gums.
"O-okay..."
While saying yes and being affirmative, I am a scaredy-cat, so I can't use the interdental brush vertically. I go regularly, but I think it's obvious that I haven't mastered the interdental brush.
To such a person as me, the assistant recommended a toothbrush.
"It's a toothbrush recommended by our clinic, and it's a bit expensive, but the usage feel is incredibly good, so please try using it once."
A Curaprox toothbrush. It's not something sold at the local drugstore.
Having had my gums tighten, I got carried away and changed my toothbrush to that one too.

And now to the present ~Postscript~

"8, 4, 5, 2, 2, 1..."
The area around my front teeth has reached a depth of 1 cm!
The back teeth remain deep because I can't stick an interdental brush in there, but the range where I can use the interdental brush has become shallower (I do it sometimes, even while being scared).
Thanks to that, my monthly visits have become every two months.

To those in their 40s to 50s
Even if you think you're fine because you don't have cavities, your gums can swell from fatigue.
If you haven't been to the dentist in a long time, you should go for a regular checkup while you're still healthy.
Gum checkups are quite painful, so it drains your mental strength. It's really better to go while you still have the physical strength!
And, I learned well that if you use decent tools, you will get results.
For those who have been using the same things since you were young, buy new ones while you have the financial means.
Regarding teeth, I don't think you'll lose out even if you buy expensive things!

#For good teeth