You guys. I'm about to talk some real shit about oral- HEALTH that is!
If you don't know this about me, I'm terrified of dentists. I would pretty much rather do anything else besides go see them. Don't get me wrong, I like having clean chompers- but I have always thought my teeth were strong and good. They're straight, pretty white, and seem very healthy.
Apparently, you must go for regular cleanings even if your teeth appear healthy. lol (shrug)
So fast forward after years of neglecting to go get my teeth checked on, my gums atarted not feeling so good. They would bleed while I flossed, felt swollen sometimes, and tender.
Finally I bit the bullet and went to get a check up.
Here's what I learned:
Plaque is the enemy.
The sticky film that coats your teeth and gets stuck between them due to food particles etc. This stuff is loaded with bacteria.
This wouldn't be a big deal if we could successfully remove all of the plaque efectively with brushing and flossing.
The problem is that most of us don't brush long enough (2 minutes) or just aren't brushing and flossing with the correct technique. (Don't even get me started on those of you that aren't flossing at all!- You have no hope)
It only takes 24 hrs for plaque to turn into tartar.
Tartar is the calcified version of plaque. Once this has happened you can not remove it yourself. This is why you're supposed to go for bi-yearly cleanings so the dentists can remove what you missed!
I didn't know th importance of all of this, so here I was with excess tartar build up in those hard to reach places.
Tartar is the root of all evil when it comes to your mouth. It literally absorbs acids and bacteria and it wreaks havoc on our gum health and teeth. This causes gum disease, cavities, and more than that- it's been linked to diabetes and heart disease. This makes sense to me after all of my research on oil pulling.
The mouth is literally the center and the start of the overall health of the body. If you have a clean mouth the rest of your body will be cleaner.
If you have bacteria overgrowing in your mouth, you're literally poisoning yourself every time you swallow.
SO the solution- If you're like me and have been very bad to your mouth. Schedule a deep cleaning- also called a root planing and scaling.
This is where the dentist numbs your mouth then proceeds to drill, shave down, and scrape off the tartar that is cemented to and in between your teeth. Sound unpleasant? It is haha.
Not going to lie, it is uncomfortable, and it takes about an hour a session (You want to do half and half at a time in my opinion)
So yes, uncomfortable. But Look at the difference!!:
The right side is the side that I got done in my first session. The left is what it looked like untreated. I since have returned to get the other hallf of my mouth done.
For a few days afterwards my gums were swollen a bit and would bleed a little- but wow at the difference! A few days later my gums stopped bleeding when I brushed and flossed and even the color changed to a much lighter peach/pink color!
My mouth hasn't felt this good in a long time- and I vow to keep up with my reguar cleanings now.
So all of that to say- if you're like me and have been neglecting your mouth for years. Set up an appt with a dentist, even if your teeth look great from the outside!
Go now, go schedule a deep cleanng! Suck it up and go get your mouth back to square one! Believe me, you'll feel SO much better!!!
--Smile big my friends,
-KL