Six Months Later: A Check-Up, a Check-In, & a Few New Goals

In March, I wrote about how scared I am of going to the dentist’s office. It’s hard to believe that less than a year later, I’ve almost fully gotten over this longstanding fear – but I think I have!

In April, I went to the dentist for the first time in a whopping four years. Or was it five? I’m trying not to remember, honestly, because I’m not going back to that life. Nope. Now I’m a grown woman who gets my teeth cleaned every six months. Seriously. I’ve done it twice already.

I’ll pause while you pat me on the back.

Thank you, thank you.

Anyway. After that first visit, I shared my tips for being less nervous about dental appointments – including a few from my very personable, wonderful hygienist, Sandra at Hudec Dental’s Ohio City location. I’ve been taking my own tips to heart, & they’re working – because last month, I went back for my six-month cleaning & check-in, & I felt totally fine about it. Mostly I was just excited to see Sandra. Now that was an unexpected relief!

I’m happy to report that all is well within my mouth, & that I actually thoroughly enjoyed my time hanging out with Sandra while she cleaned my teeth. Turns out my chompers are healthy & cavity-free & while they should be flossed more than I’m currently doing, they’re still better off than they were at my first visit in the spring. Look at me, adulting & stuff!

So now what?

After that first post, fellow CLE blogger Holly commented, “I've never been scared of the dentist, but I've also never had any problems. I think I'm in the preventative boat, like I go religiously to make sure problems do not develop.”

Amen. That’s my new goal: just keep on keepin’ on. As the new year approaches, that means:

• Schedule my next cleaning: Done! I, um, can’t recall offhand when, exactly, I scheduled it for, but it’s written down in my planner, promise. 

• Keep up with the day-to-day stuff: I’ve largely stopped using my dental chore chart, but only because I’ve started bullet journaling, & I’ve incorporated the chore chart tasks into that space.

• Wear my mouth guard every night: More on this in a future post (probably one about my sleep, actually), but now that I have a custom mouth guard, I’m sleeping better and my teeth are safer. Now to remember to wear it every night…

• Do not chip my two front teeth again: The mouth guard should help. But seriously, now that my front teeth are all smoothed out again, I am committed to being much more careful with them.

• Plan for teeth whitening: Damn you, coffee-stained teeth! I’ve talked to my hygienist about whitening options, but I haven’t moved forward with any of them yet. Stay tuned for progress on that front, too.

So there you have it: My first year of taking care of my teeth the way a freaking adult should! I'm strangely proud of myself, & I look forward to seeing how well I do with it during the next six months.

As 2020 approaches, I’ve gotta ask: Have you been to the dentist lately? If not, I’d like to use this opportunity to encourage you to go ahead & schedule an appointment.

Seriously. Right now. I’ll wait.

OK, I won’t. Just go do it. And may the floss be with you.

P.S.: If you live in Northeast Ohio & don’t yet have a dentist in the area, may I recommend Hudec Dental? Hit me up if you want more info about my doc or their multi-location network.