Jun 01 2007
Oral (hygiene) Fixation
I had my teeth cleaned the other day.
Yep, sloooow news day for Ms. Q.
I wore braces as a teenager. I had SERIOUS BRACES because I had SERIOUS SNAGGLE TEETH.
My first bicuspids were vampiric in their position, pushed up and out of the way by the rest of my teeth. Too many teeth in too small of a space.
Bicuspids be the pointy teeth.
Those of you who had braces know what came next:
Removal of “extra” teeth.
I opted to have them removed all at once which meant 4 teeth were extracted – 2 up and 2 down.
I had braces when you had 2 types to choose from: the wraparounds and the glue-ons.
The wraparounds were this band of metal that wrapped around the teeth.
The glue-ons were just that – a squarish piece of metal glued to the center of the tooth.
I ended up with the wraparounds. I think they were cheaper.
Most of the kids at school had braces as well so it wasn’t a big deal. But it gets worse.
I wore Headgear. I was told that I should wear it all the time except when sleeping.
Since I follow directions, especially with respect to my health, I did. Most of my gear-wearing friends got off easy with neckgear.
I think I wore that thing for at least 6 months. I was about 16 years old. My hair would pooch out of the headgear. I went to typing class. I got straight A’s.
Pretty picture. Really pretty picture.
A date-free picture.
Fall turned to spring and spring to fall and I ended up wearing braces for 3 and a half years. They were off before The Prom and in my young woman’s mind that was what was important.
When you first get braces, the orthodontist shows you all these horrific photos of people who didn’t clean their teeth properly while wearing them. You’d see these bands of white where the braces were and all this discoloration and grossness everywhere else.
You acquire a bit of an oral hygiene fixation because you had to brush after every meal. Even if you didn’t care about stains, you invariably worried about grossing others out with any food that may be stuck in your braces.
After the braces come off and the initial novelty of how incredibly large and smooth your mouth feels, you bask in the pearly white afterglow and realize that you want those babies to last a lifetime.
- So you brush at least twice a day.
- Flossing daily is a given.
- You get semiannual cleanings.
I have moderate oral hygiene fixation. I brush my teeth at least twice (morning and night) and try to brush after lunch, especially since my dentist is always strongly encouraging me to. I floss before I go to bed. I know some people who carry floss in their car or purse. They floss twice or even 3 times a day.
I had my teeth cleaned the other day and my dentist said words dear to my oral-hygiene-fixated self:
Dentist: “You have excellent oral hygiene.”
Me: “Eee-eee? Ow-en-oo-ell?”
Dentist: “I can tell by looking at this one tooth here [tap] – if that is clean, I know the person cleans their teeth carefully.”
If my mouth wasn’t being worked on, I’d have smiled.
I like laughing and I smile a lot.
How about you? Do you have an Oral Hygiene Fixation?
I hope your days are filled with laughter and smiles!
I was spared the braces but I had to endure something different.
I was born with a severe overbite. When I was around 12 doctors broke my jaw and moved it. I spent two months with my mouth wired shut. Yes, eating your food through a straw gets old FAST!
HMTKSteve: Yow! I wonder which is worse: 2 months of having your jaw wired shut (plus your jaw broken) or 3.5 years of twice-monthly “adjusting” of your braces, each adjustment meaning 2-3 days of pain while chewing? Both sound bad!
But did your experience give you an oral hygiene fixation? Or maybe you can’t stop chewing gum?
The only fixation I have is the constant awareness of the minor overbite I still have.
I shudder to think about the amount of money I’ve dropped on dental work. I’ve probably helped a couple of my dentists’ kids through college with the laundry list of dental work that I’ve needed over the years.
My teeth are a mess.
My brother and I had braces for almost 3 years. We’ve had our retainers ever since!! I’m not a good flosser, but I brush my teeth very well. I’ve only had 1 cavity the size of a pin point (so the dentist said).
I never had to wear headgear, but I had to get a biteplate for 3 months. Other than that, all went well! There was one tooth that never came out of my gum, so the dentist had to make room for it to grow, or pull it out. I told them to make a gap for it to grow!
Also, this winter break my brother and I got our wisdom teeth pulled, all 4 of them. Ever since, I think the gaps between my chewing teeth have got bigger, because a lot of foods get stuck inbetween them and I have to floss a lot now
dietrologia: I just hope you don’t suffer from Dental Trauma! I know a few people who feel a lot of anxiety and fear when they have to go to the dentist! I had one friend who had a big phobia. I didn’t blame her. She had some sadistic dentist that DIDN’T BELIEVE IN anaesthesia either topical or gas and she suffered.
When I was a kid I was constantly getting shots and gassed up for all my cavities! Those were in my baby teeth. I don’t have any dental trauma. I had the same dentist for over 20 years! He finally retired about 3 years ago.
Gregg: So twins get twin braces, huh? I got a retainer as well but never wore it – it always seemed to move my teeth OUT of alignment. I know of people who have to or should continue to use their retainer.
3 years is a long time to wear braces in this day and age – seems like most of the new orthodontic “technology” accelerates the process.
Four (!!) wisdom teeth pulled? Wow. After the braces came off I was told to see if I had any wisdom teeth and my X-rays showed 3 of ‘em. I then went to an oral surgeon who gave me a shot, told me to count down from 10 and somewhere around 9 I was a goner. The teeth hadn’t actually emerged yet.
I had minimal swelling and they gave me some Tylenol with codeine and I think I got by with only taking 2 of the 20 or whatever. I dislike painkillers and medicine if I can get away with it!
Since you’re twins, do you and your brother get some kinda discount rate?
A biteplate? Never heard of that.
My teeth aren’t bad but they aren’t great. I’m having a lot of work done now. The sad part about it is what my insurance will and won’t cover.
If I knew then what I know now I would have treated my teeth a whole lot better.
Urban Thought: Dental work is expensive! But mouth pain…that is not fun, not fun at all. I’m sorry you have to go through so much dental work.
Maybe you can post something about good dental hygiene and why it’s worth it?
Sadly, I do not have an oral fixation, and a trip to the dentist is in my (very near) future.
Beth: Eeee! Sounds like you’re going to the dentist because you gotta go. Good luck!
ahh We didn’t get a discount
They put a mask over my face and said to take deep breathes…The last thing I remember asking them was how long it would take for my to fall asleep and the next thing you know I’m waking up with those cotton things in my mouth!
I’m pretty sure the bite plate helps with the under bite…Not quite sure, but I know I had one.
Is that your smile? I try and stay on top of keeping my pearly whites clean but it’s not a fixation. I actually need braces to correct some “crowding” but it’s not too bad.
Ricardo: Yep, that’s my smile! No “geishafication” this time around. I would think people would be hard pressed to recognize me just by my smile.
I am sure your smile is wicked charming – “imperfections” can be very sexy.
I have been told that I have a delvlish grin actually. Many people feel it’s a signature feature of mine. LOL!
You have a very sexy smile yourself. Ms.Q which is why I asked.
Ricardo: Why is your having a devilish grin NOT a surprise? ‘Course your avatar gives a big hint.
Thanks for the compliment – I have a bit of a crooked smile and yes, some have found it sexy. Mmmrreeow!
I had braces for six years. Also had eleven, yes, eleven teeth pulled out of my mouth (I had six wisdom teeth, which added to the count quickly.)
I value my teeth. I’ve been getting gold fillings because my dentist says they’re the best. Now I have bling!
Jake: Wow. That is a lot of pulled teef. My mom sez “teef” – she has problems wif words that end in “tee-aitch.”
And add number for pulled teeth AND braces for six years? I’d be valuing my teeth even more and now you’ve ADDed value!
Show that golden smile, babeeee!
Oh they showed my daughter those scary icky not cleaned teeth pictures when she got her braces! She was too young (10 or 11) to be scared, but it sure scared me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, she barely did the minimum & still came out without the lines…
I never had braces (or my jaw broken or wired shut). Mine would have been purely cosmetic…almost sort of wish I had done it anyway sometimes, just to have the straighter teeth, but it’s hard to really notice I think. Most people don’t really know if I had braces or not.
Jill: Glad your daughter didn’t end up with any stains after getting her braces off!
Sometimes a dentist will recommend braces even if your teeth aren’t crooked – they recommend them to correct the bite. I knew someone who wore braces because of his bite. The dentist said if corrected the bite, he’d prevent future problems like headaches from bad alignment and uneven wear and tear.
The thing with braces is you do end up with a perfect smile. Or you can end up with one. I look like I had braces and your daughter probably does as well.
Is this the one? I don’t think it is. I did learn one thing though… your teeth are just like Farra Fawcett’s. Clean, shiny, and really keen!!!
Awe shucks, MsQ, can’t you just send me the teeth? LOL!!!!
Happy times over here my friend
– Speedcat
Speedy! Yes, this is the post with my real actual smile – you done found it! Sorry I can’t send you my teeth – I need ‘em.
Yep! That’s the one
See, I do pay attention!!! (Farrah Fawcett I did forget, but it is true)
Speedy!! Not sure how Farrah Fawcett found her way into my blog. Must be HER TEETH since I don’t have HER HAIR (at least in the her famous feathered heyday). But I do know you pay attention.
i’m currently only 14, however, i have had several retainers and operations to fix my teeth and i am currrently enduring headgear. i look after my teeth really well so its a massive kick in the preverbial balls. on top of this, my orthodontist is a huge pillock and simply refuses to make things any easier. however, he assures me that the treatment will soon be over… in about 4 years.