My teeth were bad - I mean really, really BAD. I am totally, absolutely, irrevocably, pants-wetting terrified of the dentist. I take anti-anxiety meds to go with Ken for his appointments - just to sit in the waiting room, for goodness sake. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, got a couple of prescriptions, and made my first dental appointment since 1973, the year Kenny was born. This was 2 years ago. All I had left in my mouth were 7 very bad bottom teeth. I've had my upper denture since I was 23 years old. He was able to save the bottom teeth and I'll be getting a partial next spring. After the work was done, he recommended sugarless gum. He said that when we are out and about, chewing gum after eating or when my mouth feels dry increases saliva and bathes my teeth in a natural and essential "rinse" until I can brush. He told me not to pop gum in my mouth and keep gnawing it like a cow chewing a cud - instead when we get back into the car to leave the restaurant I should do a quick floss with one of those little floss picks, pop a piece of gum into my mouth, and chew it until the flavor fades, then get rid of the gum. The problem was that none of the sugarless gums are the kind that don't stick to dental work. So we compromised. I use a sugared, non-sticking gum, but as soon as I toss the gum I drink some water. Since I'm not about to go for a repeat of the "Dental summer of 2012" if he told me to chew barbed wire after eating I'd carry a roll of it in the car! So far every checkup (and yes, I do that now 2x a year....I take an anti-anxiety pill at night and two about an hour before I leave for the office) has been really good. Easy cleanings, and we are getting ready to make a replacement upper plate for the one I've had in my mouth for 41 years and get my partial done. Wanted to do implantse, but the bones have deteriorated so badly from dental neglect that I'd have to have surgery to build that up. No thanks!
