Well, you have to admit the science and art of dentistry has improved with time. How many of you gagged your way through those wretched fruit-gel flouride treatments thirty years ago? The trick was not to swallow your spit…at least that’s what the hygenist told me yesterday. I guess the gel was (and still is) an emetic…and since I am particularly of the juicy sort…there was no getting through those things without upchucking in the corner. Nice mental image there! I REALLY hope you’re not reading this with a bagel & cup o’ morning coffee!
At any rate nowadays, instead of gel, they have this foamy stuff still in whacked-out flavors, but the unadventurous (me) can have mint. Furthermore, instead of four minutes of no swallowing you only have one minute and there really is no trick to holding that reflex for 60 seconds. The capper is that there is now this cool vaccuum thingy that you clamp down on and there goes all your (puking) worries…sucked right out.
No cavities! That rocked! I sure felt sorry for the little guy sitting in the chair next to me though. He was approximately seven and he seemed to be having about three baby teeth yanked out. Poor lil’ dude he was totally howling, and the dentist kept telling him to take a deep breath.
As for my other health issue…yes I now have to face that my holiday behaviors were counterproductive and my symptoms are back. Why did I behave in such a careless fashion? Free-will, frustration, immaturity, and just the perceived need to kick up my heels. So tomorrow I need to call the MDs and set up some follow ups. To quote Sanford, “You big dummy!”
