Put your money where your mouth is...

Let's say someone was boasting and you didn't believe the story they were telling. You could suggest a wager... bet money against what they say is true. Put your money where your mouth is would be a common saying.

This blog is not about boasting or betting. It's about a trip to the dentist.

Earlier this year, I had some food trapped between 2 crowned teeth and was heading to a client appointment. Within a few hours I had some serious pain coming from the outside just below the gum line. Lucky for me, the dentist was able to see me without much wait. X-rays didn't show anything but the area was red so the doctor prescribed antibiotics and very slowly the pain subsided, but not enough to be considered gone.

The dentist referred me to a specialist who probed around and pulled out what appeared to be a tiny filament lodged deep in the gum line that didn't come out from daily waterpik rinses. I believe it came from the dental floss. I persisted and the pain was nearly gone. If I pressed on the jawbone near the area I could feel pressure.

Unhappy, the next trip was to the primary doctor who referred me to an ENT. From that visit got me a CT scan that showed negative. However, he prescribed Naproxen to reduce swelling. Within a week, I began to feel human again.

Fast forward and eventually, the pain/pressure returned. My trip to see my brother was booked so I saw the primary car who prescribed Naproxen and some antivert in-case I got dizzy from the flight.

Next stop: Dentist.
More inclusive x-rays and a prescription for antibiotic.
While I was there, they wanted to book a cleaning, but I had issues with the hygienist and told them I planned to go elsewhere for a cleaning. Within seconds another person came into the office and sat down. She must have overheard me and asked why. Not wanting to go into too much detail, I said it's wasn't sufficient to be called a cleaning. Introducing herself as a hygienist, she had a cancellation and asked if I wanted to book with her. Now?
Yes...
Okay, this must be my lucky day.
I said hand scaling only... no cavatron.
She said okay.
(this blog is running longer that I thought)

Something I've never seen before is she had a tiny rubber-tipped probe with graduations that is used to measure the gap between teeth and spaces at the gum line. Basically, mapping out the entire mouth and entering this information into my chart.

I rarely fall for gimmicks (like nitrogen filled tires) and was a little skeptical about the service/procedure she suggested. It's a deep cleaning and injecting antiseptic gel between the teeth/gums. It lasts for weeks. Okay, let's do it.

The cleaning was the best I've had in more than 20 years and injecting the gel into the gums was painless. The cost combined with the cleaning was a few hundred, but I'm at the point (despite a few crowns) I still have all my teeth and hope this treatment helps to keep it that way!

Already the antibiotic has started to 'kick in' and the swelling is down.

I think it was a good idea to put my money where my mouth is...