When I went to my new Victoria dentist a couple of weeks ago, I reflected on how familiar I am with dentistry, on account of my cavity-prone teeth and three years with braces (I know, I know, orthodontists are different than dentists, but you get my drift). The whole visit to the dentist is a very familiar procedure for me. I don't get stressed out about dentist appointments, but maybe that's a bad thing. If I were scared of dentists, I bet I would floss more often. But instead, I liked my Vancouver dentist - a beautiful Italian woman who isn't much older than me but mothers me all the same - and I like my new dentist - a youngish Swedish man with a serious design aesthetic and a "we're in this together" manner. Thanks for the recommendation, Jen!
Because of my history with cavities, I do get a little nervous about x-ray results, but it's more of a financial concern. Even with my coverage from university, cavities are expensive. The good news is, I don't have any cavities, and my fillings are in fine shape. Dr. John (that's what people call him) even marveled at my beautiful "smile." My mouth was stretched open and he was fussing around with various tools when he said it, but whatever. He's a dentist and he likes my teeth.
There is another reason why this cavity-free diagnosis is worth celebrating: I've been using fluoride-free Aloe Vera toothpaste for the last few years, and I was never quite sure if it was doing anything for my teeth.
I love this toothpaste, even though it's a little pricey. I love the consistency and the taste, and I love that I'm not scared that my toothpaste is hurting my stomach. If you've ever had digestion problems/stomach pain, you get sort of crazy looking for explanations, and toothpaste came up on my radar at some point or another. Now I can rest easy knowing that I am preventing various potential problems by using a natural alternative. High five!
6 comments:
High 5 natural toothpaste! Woot! I've been meaning to ask you for the name of your lovely Vancouver dentist, can you send it to me?
My Vancouver dentist is Dr. Giovanna D'Alfonso at AARM Dental Group near St. Paul's hospital.
I have a similar dentist history (having had braces and the always-sexy headgear for years), and have had a pretty good relationship with them through adolescence. But I recently started getting nervous about visits to the dentists again. This started after I went to the bathroom part way through a visit to my new dentist and realized that the seam on the crotch of my pants had come undone and I had a huge hole to contend with! I've been avoiding the dentist ever since then, just in case I was inadvertently flashing him. Oh, the embarrassment of it all!
Fun Fact: Did you know that dentist fees are based on a recommended price list that they don't have to honour? I found this out the hard way. I had a root canal and my $900ish procedure magically turned into over $1500 when they found out my dental insurance pay-out limit for the year ($1500). I covered the rest. I asked for an explanation and was told that I should have shopped around. Yeah, I guess so.
p.s-I really don't mind dentists.
This was just a shock.
-Adam L.
On the flip side, my Vancouver dentist office lowered the fees when they realized I didn't have insurance way back when. I appreciated the flexibility at the time, but I can see the problem, Adam. Also: a root canal! Ugh.
I love my dentist too - I think it was because she was in a fancy pance neighborhhod(waaaaaaaaay different from my ghetto reality) and I fantasized the dental hygenists to be 'Bond Girls':) Plus my dentist uses digital photgraphy for xrays which have %75 less radiation, she took out my mercury fillings bleh! and she asked me to tell her about how I thought my dental health was on her first assesment. Ahhhhhh.
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