Yesterday I went to the dentist for the first time in more than two years. I feel bad about that, but first I was in China and just felt nervous about the idea of trying to find a non-sketchy dentist there. Then I was here but have no dental insurance, and so put it off a lot. Lately, though, it has occurred to me that I had really ought to get my teeth cleaned before getting married, even though it will be much cheaper to do so afterwards. After all, it's probably going to be the most visible high-profile day of my life, and it's probably worthwhile not having yellow teeth! So I shelled out the nearly $200 for a self-pay dentist visit. Apparently this was a rare and shocking thing to do--I was faced with great confusion and blank looks all 'round. I guess if you're poor enough not to have dental insurance you're poor enough to consider dentistry a non-essential expense.
Anyway, the dentist said repeatedly that I had the cleanest teeth she'd seen in a long time. (I get this reaction a lot from dentists. I have lousy soft teeth and not very good gums either, but I do floss and brush absolutely every day.) But she said I obviously grind my teeth in a bad way, to the extent that "the molars are practically worn flat." She wants to sell me a $200 night guard. I am trying pre-bed-time affirmations instead. ("I will keep my jaw relaxed all night. I will keep my jaw relaxed all night.") I of course am completely unaware of grinding my teeth at all, and Pocket of Bolts sleeps like a log and has no clue if I do or not. Last night, though, I did catch myself doing it once, possibly because of the extra message to my unconscious mind.
Sleep is a strange realm of the unconscious yet mysteriously quasi-controllable. I suppose probably I should shell out for the night guard... but it seems not very romantic...
2 comments:
i think you can buy a $20 plastic teeth guard at the drugstore that does the same thing as thr $200 dentist thing.
That's a thought...I'll have to look into that!
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