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Just recently I got into a conversation with my "new" dentist about Lyme disease. {Stay tuned for another post about that conversation~}. I became quite friendly with him and his assistant as they've seen me & have gotten to know me more personally over the past several months.
We were all about repairing what was damaged, on all levels.
I just completed some long standing 'unfinished' teeth business that I needed to finally take care of, once and for all. I just kept putting it off for a better time, a better place ... waiting for the right time.
Until Mark finally gave me the answer I needed to hear to move forward, that wise advice of Just get it over with Lori! did I finally put myself in motion.
Intuitively I knew it needed to get done & finished in order for me to get me over my last health "hurdle", if you will.
In it all, through it all, I learned how intricately connected our teeth are with our overall health in general - in a big, big way. Sort of like puzzle pieces guiding us to answers about ourselves.
In my years of battling so many various "diseases", but ultimately Lyme disease in the end, I have seen many, many doctors - of all kinds, of all titles, of all specialties.
{Stay tuned for a future posting on that topic}
While going through that whole process, I was also visiting many, many dentists at the same time as well.
Same thing ... all kinds, types, and specialists.
Unfortunately, many that were not so good.
Many who scared the living daylights out of me! Ones who disrespected me in the worst possible way, in the worst possible manner. Ones who made me never, ever want to return to a dentist chair again.
After all, how can you speak up for yourself when you are literally rendered speechless? Particularly when you are a child? Even as an adult?
But, of course! there were some along the way that really made the whole process go so, so much easier for me.
My dental history is also a long tale to tell, unfortunately, but I believe it is worth telling.
I think I've had it all done (well, probably not literally!)... it started when my front tooth got accidentally knocked out (chipped actually) when I was 7 years old. It fell right into the palm of my hand. At the time I thought that was a good thing, as if I saved it and the dentist could easily just glue it back on. Yah~ ... it doesn't work that way, I learned.
That led to multiple root canals, crowns - on & off again, 4 years of braces, "head gear & retainers"{I'm sorry but that was just awful, especially wearing it to grade school!} ... and along with it all also came the name calling from my peers.
And we all know that there really is no truth in that saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
Words do hurt and stick and damage. They just do.
I had a lot of "damage" to get fixed. Still do.
I sucked my thumb up until the 4th grade after all. That definitely didn't help things along. My parents (and grandparents) literally "tried" everything in their human power to get me to stop. I still can remember the smells and tastes of all of those weird topical things.
The truth is ... I also was trying everything in my own power to stop, too.
Nothing worked.
I just couldn't stop. It helped me fall asleep and get back to sleep.
I was only able to finally stop because I was forced to. The orthodontist literally put this thing in the roof of my mouth so my thumb wouldn't fit all the way in!
Well, it worked! I am not secretly sucking my thumb now as an adult woman! :) {Really!}
So majorly "buck teeth" and jaw misalignment not allowing me to chew properly finally came to a head when I was in the 4th grade and all the repair work started, even though it had essentially already began 2 years prior.
And then thankfully, it got finished in a good, good way.
But then as an adult, I found myself again having to face the dentist when at age 18 I got my very first cavities, unbeknownst to me. Interestingly enough. No big deal ... just fill them.
Fast forward to all of my 20's, most of my 30's, and the stresses of my life finally taking its toll on me, plus the various chronic infections raging in my body ... finally, my "2" cavity filled molars simply gave out; gave up. Quit.
Sort of like me.
That led to more root canals, more dental visits, more money thrown in the garbage. All to no success.
Extraction was the only option - for both teeth - 6 months apart from each other.
Yes. More stress on top of an already overloaded stressed out person! More trauma piled on top of already existing traumas.
I've learned that our first early experiences as children with dentists does make a huge impact on us, sometimes for the rest of our lives. Keeping some from ever going back to any dentist.
And I've learned that that is not a good thing. I've learned that that can also be overcome.
All of it.
I also learned that there are dentists out there who really truly do care. Who really do practice good patient care. Who really honor and respect their patients voices, no matter what age.
I have learned that the best ones aren't always the ones with the fancy "titles" or "years of experience under their belt", or "age" or "maturity" or whatever.
Through it all ... the pain and office visits and time & energy wasted ... I am so thankful.
I am thankful that my parents understood the importance of nice looking teeth & a pretty smile; they were willing to sacrifice of themselves so I could have that.
I am thankful for the lessons learned. The ones I needed to learn.
That is why I have been so diligent about taking care of my own teeth and teaching my kids the importance of good dental hygiene. The point is to not go back to the dentist, right?
{It's really not anything personal! :)}
Of course, when I find a "good" one, I am very happily and readily wanting to pass that information onto my readers.
Because in this day and age with all of us experiencing poor customer or patient service on some level, I like to pass along the good customer service when I come across it.
I purposely waited to get my final 2 bridges done until I could find the right place, the right dentist and the right assistant. {Can you tell that I am a very thorough researcher? :)}
I do only have a limited amount of spoons.
I wasn't going to settle anymore for anything less.
The thing is, though, I wasn't really too concerned about actually getting the work done itself. That wasn't the hard part for me anymore.
No, what they did for me was help me get over my paralyzing fear of getting back in that dentist chair again.
And they did it all with kindness, compassion, patience, and exemplary patient care.
As I am all about passing along my helpful healing "tools" from my toolbox to you my readers, I know that I've found a good "resource" for you if you are looking for a new dentist for yourself or your family. But especially if you or someone you know is simply petrified about going to the dentist, like I was and have been up until just a few months ago!
It is a good place to start anyway.
I also have a separate list of some other "good" ones out there, and also the ones to watch out for :) Contact me if you'd also like that list.
I told Dr.Tanty and his assistant, Denise, from Forward Dental that I'd be more than happy to be their "free" advertisement sign. I also got to work with his brother, who is also a dentist, in 2010 ... interestingly enough, but at a different location.
I, also, only have great things to say about him as well.
As I got to know my other "team members" on a more personal level {Yes ... I still can get my questions out with my mouth in that state! Ha!}, I learned that something called good ole' laughter and lightheartedness about the simple, silly things of Life are also very important & necessary "tools" in healing from tooth issues.
Every issue.
As I also now understand on a whole new level the other side of dental problems, that being - the financial side - the simple reality of high cost dental care being unaffordable to most people is sad for me.
I also am reminded now of how I should never, ever take for granted the dental insurance we are offered through Mark's employer.
The quality and health of our teeth is important. It just is.
Good insurance definitely will help things along, but only so much. And sometimes it is barely even worth getting it in the first place. I also have additional "resources" and "ideas" in that regard as well if you need further information.
In the big scheme of things, though, aren't we all after the same thing?
A beautiful Smile?
A happy, contented, peaceful, whole, complete ... fully loved heart behind that smile?
I've learned in my life, through my experiences that sometimes the way the person's teeth look from the outside really doesn't tell us much about a person anyway.
It is what is on the inside that matters.
And how and in what means that is shared with others is what matters.
Lending a hand, lending a smile, sharing love.
I like to call that Walking in Love.
I would like to leave you all with this small, but oh-so-profound 'nugget of Truth' that I learned from someone very special to my heart for her service and good to me. A life changing truth. I hope it is for you, too. I am thankful for this person's willingness to love me enough to speak this Truth to me so I could finally jump over my last hurdle {I hope you know who you are!}:
Here goes: Your body always knows the truth. The answer is inside of you. Just trust the answer you are given. "The body always knows."
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