Waterpik Daily Routine

We never used Waterpiks. We used toothbrushes. My parents ended up having their own teeth in to old age. My mom always made sure we had routine dental appointments. Every time I visit a dentist they tell me I am no stranger to the dental chair based on all of the crowns and filling I have. I pay earnest attention to my teeth because I had TMJ experimental surgery forty years ago. Going to an experience hygienist is most important because of the stress a routine checkup puts on my jaw. Last week I went to a new dentist and the experience was positive. The hygienist was very gentle and thorough and I didn’t have any residual pain afterwards. But even with all of my flossing and brushing and caring for my gums there is periodontal destruction on the upper back molars. So she recommended that I start to use a waterpik. So I got a handheld waterpik last week and have started to introduce that in to my daily routine. It does take some getting used to without making a mess. I do need to eventually have a crown but I’m holding off until it is essential especially since I don’t have any pain and continue a good job keeping things clean. So I hope the waterpik helps keep the bacteria load down. My husband is currently having several dental implants put in and that includes bone grafts and a lot of drawn out processes - something I absolutely don’t want to go through. After forty years my jaw is still functioning. I’vecbeen wearing a night guard all of this time but couldn’t survive without it. Thank goodness there are things to alleviate issues like this. I’ll just keep my fingers crossed until the next check up. Until then the waterpik will become my friend. 

Dentist and Implants

We had dental appointments set up for February 2020. We always go every six months for routine cleaning and check ups. Since we moved from Capitol Hill to northern Virginia we had to find a new dentist. So we selected someone who is not even a block away. When my mom died in February the appointment was canceled. Then came the pandemic and it’s been over a year and a half since we last visited a dentist. That’s not a good thing. This month we finally got appointments set again only after we were vaccinated. My husband has a lot of work that needs to be done. So we are taking that one step at a time. I need to have an extensive gum cleaning after having a “power wash.” She also has designs on my old fillings, but I’m not in any hurry. After having had TMJ surgery almost forty years ago I can’t stand the dentist chair. So my husband ended up with one implant this week. They needed to first pull the wobbly tooth, do a bone graft, and insert the rod. Next week he needs stitches removed and the final implant part will be placed in 3-4 months. He has had a couple of implants before - one resulting in a broken bone. So now he is on an oral mouth rinse, and antibiotics, and an Advil/Tylenol combo for pain. Each day is a little better, but it’s not something to look forward to.