National Dentist Day

By Diane Forrest

I am one of those people who hate going to the dentist.  I guess I have been more times than alot of people I know.  When I was younger, my brother broke my front tooth, so I had to go to an emergency dental appointment.  He put this mold in my mouth filled with this gooey stuff, and had to press it in hard.  I thought I would die.  I didn’t like the feeling of my mouth wide open, and a stranger with huge fingers pressing cement in the roof of my mouth.  I had to go through that horror again once I got older, and my teeth finished growing.

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After that terrifying ordeal, I never went the routine 6 months for check ups.  In fact, I didn't go back for many years, until I had a very bad tooth ache and the side of my face doubled in size causing me to look like an alien.  It turned out that I needed a root canal.  I had heard horrific stories about them, and was very nervous about having this done.  Then, I was introduced to Nitrous Oxide.  This is a wonderful drug, called laughing gas.  Once he put that mask over my face I didn't care what he did to my teeth.

Several years later I changed to a dentist in my town.  He was new, young, very good looking, had a very nice new beautiful office, and friendly staff.  My first visit there I sat in the chair and instead of staring at a blank wall, there was a huge picture window.  Outside there was a beautiful field, and in the field were several miniature horses.  The hygienist came in and not only applied the nitrous oxide, but placed padded earphones on my ears and gave me the remote to the overhead television set.  Then another staff member, a massage therapist came in and massaged my hands and arms.  I was in heaven!  I had such a wonderful time that I went back, again and again.

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Today is National Dentist day.  According to 1dental.com, here are some ideas that you can do to celebrate this day:

Get a dental checkup – Maybe it’s time to get back in the office to make sure your teeth are healthy and your habits are on the right track.

Send your dentist a thank-you card – Let your dentist know that you appreciate the work they put into making sure you’re healthy

Commit to better habits – There’s no better time to renew your resolve to start brushing/flossing/swishing mouthwash regularly. Make a plan and stick with it!

Raise awareness - Whether you teach your children a new song about brushing their teeth or you tell your friends why you’re going to the dentist, you can do your part to help people realize the importance of dental hygiene.

Smile – Don’t forget to show off that beautiful smile that your dentist had a part in maintaining!