The Thoughts of a Frumpy Professor

............................................ ............................................ A blog devoted to the ramblings of a small town, middle aged college professor as he experiences life and all its strange variances.

Tuesday, October 05, 2021

Chompers


 

Today's post will be a bit more abbreviated due to a rescheduled dental appointment.  My original appointment was set to occur about a month ago, but the hygienist who works at my dentist's office was unexpectedly ill that day and this caused most of my dentist's appointments to need to be cancelled. It was a rather interesting situation as I had been scheduled for the first appointment of the day.... and was driving there when I received the phone call from the scheduler that the appointment had to be cancelled.  

I actually do not like dental appointments in any way, shape, or form.  With my TMJ (Tempormandibular Joint Disorder), the seemingly simple act of holding my mouth open wide for inspection and cleaning is difficult to do.  My natural inclination is to close my jaw and clench my teeth (typical TMJ symptom).  It is surprising to many, but the act of holding my mouth wide open for even a simple formal cleaning by a hygienist (typically taking perhaps 45 minutes) IS difficult for me, and typically makes my mouth feel sore for two or three days afterwards.  

The above is a big reason I tend to be extremely fastidious with my teeth.  I typically floss at LEAST twice a day... often 3 or even sometimes 4 times a day.  I also brush often.  At MINIMUM three times a day, and often 4 or sometimes even 5 times a day.  

When I used to have the beautiful luxury of being an active pipe smoker.... dental days were not "fun" for another reason as well..... to avoid the typical "pipe smoking is bad" lecture from the series of younger dentists I have been going to since my original dentist (and his successor as well) retired...... I would refrain from smoking my pipes from the evening before the visit until after the dental visit.  As a morning pipe has always been my favorite of all piping times in a day, it was always the one I have to give up for sure... and often if I had to take an afternoon appointment, the abstinence would extend even further.  

So, I am hoping my appointment goes well.  We shall see.  

 PipeTobaccco

3 Comments:

Blogger Margaret said...

I hope it goes OK. I can't imagine trying to hold my mouth open under those circumstances. It would be miserable! My grandfather was my dentist for a long time, so I've never had any issues with getting dental care. He did yell at me for not flossing though which my current dentist doesn't do. :)

Tuesday, 05 October, 2021  
Blogger Anvilcloud said...

I do not have that problem, but my mouth is not as comfortable being wide open as it used to be. I think if I have to have a longer repair appointment in future, I'll opt for that funny gas to help get me through more easily.

Wednesday, 06 October, 2021  
Blogger Ol'Buzzard said...

I have a dental appointment today also.
Good luck
the Ol'Buzzard

Wednesday, 06 October, 2021  

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