My not so pearly whites

Made an eventual trip to the dentist a couple of weeks ago. I was so overdue for a tooth checkup. My last visit to the man with the nifty dental plague remover was way back in October 2004. You can call me a procrastinator (well, what’s new?) and I guessed there’s no harm paying the dentist a visit since I am now entitled to a free teeth checkup, scale and clean twice a year, courtesy of my private health insurance cover of which we all pay increasingly high premiums for.

My pearly whites are slowly turning brown, no thanks to the hot caffeinated drinks that I now consume in an alarming manner. The air conditioning in my building isn't too weather friendly, unfortunately. A jacket just doesn't cut it as my internals are still freezing cold. Some people look at me funny for drinking hot water. Hey buddy, whatever keeps me warm, I'll do it. Besides that, I usually have a hot drink of milo for breakfast, a cup of black tea for morning tea, and a hot chocolate for afternoon tea. Recently I’ve found delight in indulging into a stronger hit of caffeine - instant but frothy three-in-one lattes, spiced up with a hint of vanilla or hazelnut flavours. Yumm. And I used to wonder why Australians can’t start their day without their cuppa. I'm in their shoes right now.

Anyway, back to my dental dilemma. My dentist is concerned for my lower two wisdom teeth, growing at an angle that warrants attention, possibly causing holes in the adjacent healthy tooth. X-ray is the only way for him to know if the situation is critical, or maybe he just wants me to go back for consultation and squeeze more money for himself.

I don't know if I really want know how bad it really is. Jem rocked up to cell group (or life group as my church calls it) earlier tonight with a swollen left cheek after her wisdom teeth extraction a week ago. After her day surgery, she could hardly walk, felt groggy from the heavy medication and pain killers, and was nauseous most times. It's freaking me out. Please be kind to me, dear wisdom tooth. If you can just quietly hide in that little corner, I promise to eat more potato chips and chocolates to satisfy your desires. Can this trade work?

My fifteen minute dental therapy session finished with a floride swab that tasted like melted marshmellow. Double yum.