Grin and bear it

My dentist told me last week that I need to floss more consistently. Yeah, don't we all. I sort of floss, sometimes. And I'm quite sure no one close to me would accuse me of poor personal hygiene--my peeps are pretty honest. But my challenge is that a good, thorough flossing for me takes at least 15 minutes. My mouth is full of permanent retainers and bridge work that I have to floss in, under and around. It's exhausting.

My mouth hasn't had an easy life. Six years of braces on top of I don't know how many other wires and dental appliances. I've lost count of how many teeth I've had pulled, but it’s more than ten (including four impacted wisdom teeth). I still keep a hefty supply of gauze around for the next big dental disaster. I'm sure my parents gave up several dream vacations to fund the "let's make sure Heather and Jenny can smile without shame" fund. (And I thank them!)

As an adult, I had to return to my orthodontist to have him fix a retainer. He pulled my childhood X-rays out of my file and said "Before you agree to marry any guy, you'd better ask to see his dental records." I laughed. He didn't. He looked me straight in the eyes and said "I'm serious. Your children could be doomed." Awesome.

So yeah, I could probably floss more (and I am trying). But with all the trauma these pearly whites have been dealt, let's agree that some Listerine and Colgate aren't half bad either.