When I was 17 I had a cavity. When I was 17 I had a filling to take care of the cavity.

It is the only cavity I’d ever had.

2020 happens. My dentist retires. I go two years without a dental appointment.

Finally, January of 2022, I go to the dentist.

He thinks I have a cavity.

I am crushed.

He Xrays the tooth to look at it closely.

Turns out it’s not exactly a cavity. my forty year old filling is coming loose. A cavity is beginning to form in the cavity (see that wordplay) between where the filling is breaking and my actual tooth because really, it’s a difficult spot to brush.

So dentist fixed the offending area.

And I was mad at myself for not getting to dentist sooner.

However…

I am grateful that I caught this before it got worse. I am grateful for a very gentle hygienist and dentist.

And I urge all of you who worried about getting COVID but didn’t worry about all the other things that can happen to your body to please go out and get appropriate check ups. Please take care of all your health things… What I missed turned out to be easily fixed- no harm no foul. However, it could have gone much worse. Take care of yourself. Please.

27 thoughts on “Gratitude Saturday January 29”

  1. When i was 19 i went to the dentist for a cavity. He drilled and for whatever senile reason he filled it with a temporary filling. A month later my root is dead and I am trying to numb the pain with anbisol. My mom takes me back and the should of retired dentist says the tooth needs to be pulled. Soon after he retired. Thank You Dr. Jenkins for 32 years of a wide open space in the lower left portion of my mouth where a molar once hung out.

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    2. That really does suck. My brother had a similar experience when we were teens. Since then I’ve been terrified of going for dental checks and now I suspect I might have my very first cavity. At 30!

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  3. Great advice. I was just thinking about the fact it’s been a year since my last dentist appointment. It’s time. Thanks for the reminder, and the message today, LA. Oh, and I’m glad it was an easy fix. 💖

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  4. Okay i hear you, I will call the dentist. Thankz for the gentle nudge. 🙂
    I have never had a cavity so its been easy to put off with everything else going on! But, you are right, I will be kicking myself if something turns into a big problem that could have been fixed if I had gone earlier.

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  6. Congratulations on your wonderful teeth! My father-in-law had only one or two fillings when he died.

    John and I were able to keep up with all our medical screenings and checkups, helped by the fact that COVID was never as bad here as elsewhere. This was a good reminder, though. Thanks for the public service announcement.

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  8. How strange LA, I’ve only had one cavity my whole life too, it was after my third child, they suck the life out of you, and one of my teeth caved. They filled it with white stuff and you would never know it happened. I adore my dentist and have only missed one appointment at the beginning of our lockdown period. Now I’m rueing the day that filling starts to loosen? Glad you got your butt in the dentist’s chair and took care of the issue! I do hate the sound of tartar being scratched from my terrorized enamel, hugs, C

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