Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Kicking It while caring for my mouth

A couple of things I notice when meeting someone is their eyes and their smile. Those two features pretty much dictate how a person is feeling.

Quoted in Matthew 6:22-24: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” Centuries later, William Shakespeare wrote, “To thee I do commend my watchful soul, ere I let fall the window of mine eyes,” in Richard III. This century we just say, “the eyes are the window to the soul.”

That being true, then a smile must be the mirror to one’s heart. Not to be forgotten is how a smile brightens the eyes, lifts the cheeks, and erases wrinkles. It also obliterates frown lines from between the brows. Therefore, why not wear one every day? It is a free beauty treatment.

Along the way to adulthood, we grow the second set of teeth. This set should stay in our mouth and not in a glass next to our bed.

Still sporting all but those pesky wisdom teeth, regrettably, my remaining ones have lost their luster. Of course, I am jealous of the new “Hollywood White” craze. Though not envious enough to sell-a-kidney to recap them.

My husband’s dental routine is like his religion. After each meal he flosses, uses his personal water pick, scrapes his tongue and cheeks, and scrubs with two types of electric toothbrush alternating between baking soda and toothpaste. My routine pales in comparison. Here is what I’ve been doing.

After eating I use my personal water picking device to rinse between and around each tooth to remove the gunk.

At bedtime, the routine is enhanced with flossing and brushing. When I visit my DDS twice a year, he cleans them for me. So far, so good.

There still remains one mystery behind my dental visits. Considering I have had at least 120 visits strewn amongst every imaginable type of dental professional, in all those visits not one dental pro has ever suggested, mentioned, or encouraged me to use a water-squirting device to remove food from between my teeth and gums,

not even my periodontist.

I can only wonder why orthodontists don’t encourage patients to use one after meals? The fact of the matter is, it was my 90-year-old dad who turned me on to daily water picking. It has been an oral blessing.

Logic stands to reason teeth can only survive inside solid bone supported by healthy gums. Therefore, common sense dictates daily massaging will be helpful. My personal experience proves my daily routine has worked because my gums have tightened from 4’s and 5’s down to 1’s and 0’s.

Scattered amongst my real teeth, I have a crown on every molar, a few root canals, and even a gold filling tucked away in the back. While it has taken thousands of dollars to keep this smile, without the effort just where would I park my foot?

Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal can be reached at [email protected]

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/29/2024 03:14