Wicked Weez of the West

Audrey II

I went to the dentist this week. Not something I ever envisaged needing to do while living in Japan for only up to a year, especially given I had a check up mid-2009. But I did, and this is the story.

It started about a week after arriving in Japan, December 2009. On the top left side of my mouth: an inflamed, sore, raised, painful (and infected) gum. It took about 5 days to clear up, after which I noticed that the tooth it was near was now wobbly. *cue alarm bells*. I didn’t do anything about it then, but just kept an eye (and finger) on it to wait and see if it improved.

It didn’t.

And as of last week, I discovered that a few more teeth were now wobbly.

I guess you could say that by this point, I was more than a little worried about it. Did some research, and the internets told me that it was most likely something along the lines of periodontal disease. Not the most awesome thing thinking you could lose your teeth. And even worse knowing you’re in a foreign country, whose inhabitants give the Brits a run for their money with more than enough case studies to fill their own version of The Big Book of British Smiles.

After discussing it over with Rich (who’d already suggested, many times, I go see a dentist), I found some local dentists who spoke English, checked out their websites, contacted my travel insurance to see what was covered, then made an appointment.

I’ve never enjoyed going to the dentist. I had many fillings as a child, and to this day the sound of a drill sends shivers down my spine. But this dental experience wasn’t too bad at all. The dentist was reassuring, and she explained that my situation was quite urgent, but not untreatable. And when I expressed concern about losing teeth, she almost laughed, saying it wouldn’t happen. After the assistant took several photos, and a set of x-rays, the dentist began work on my mouth.

She discovered that almost half of my teeth – back, front, upper, and lower – were affected by gum disease. In the worst places, her pokey stick thing went in up to 8mm (3mm is acceptable). And she advised me that it would take quite a few treatments to get it all sorted out. Basically, there is a build up of tartar under the gum line, which is a breeding ground for bacteria. It causes the gum to pull away from the tooth, and for the bone to change, making pockets in the tooth sockets which is why the teeth feel wobbly. Hopefully, after they’ve been thoroughly cleaned, it’ll go back to normal.

This session she cleaned the area which was causing me the most concern and pain, and also inserted some antibiotics into the gum. I asked if it was possible I’d been brushing too hard, and she said, “no way!” The main cause of this was not flossing thoroughly, or regularly. Something I admit to being guilty of, mainly due to laziness. I’ve always brushed regularly, at least twice a day, but flossing is not something I ever did more than once a week. It just took too long, and I brushed well, so I never gave it much thought.

All that’s changed now.

Ever since about 10 years ago, I’d made it a habit to take my makeup off before going to bed every night. For a number of reasons. Firstly, I can get a bit OCD, and I hate going to bed with a face that feels dirty. Secondly, I hate waking up with panda eyes. And thirdly, I remember reading somewhere (trashy women’s magazine) that leaving your makeup on when you go to bed will make you age faster (or you look older). So it’s been a habit that’s paid off.

Now my routine includes flossing every night after brushing my teeth. I had been doing this much more often since finding the wobbly tooth, but obviously it was way too late!

I think the thing that’s pissed me off most about this is the fact I went to the dentist last year. But despite me telling them that some of my teeth were sore, and my front tooth appeared to have gotten longer (and gum seemed to have receded), he didn’t pick up that anything was wrong. Nor did he take x-rays. In fact, all he suggested was that I get $2,200 worth of cosmetic dentistry to improve the appearance of my teeth (which I did not take him up on). So now I’m having to spend extra money (travel insurance won’t cover all of this), months later, to get treated for something I’ve apparently had for a while.

Not. Happy. Jan.

But there’s not a lot else I can do other than following through with this treatment, and ensuring I floss daily from now on. Oh, and also bringing to your attention the fact you should be flossing every day too! It’s actually much more important than brushing (but you should still do that). Make sure you’ve got a good dentist, and if you’re ever in doubt, get a second opinion – I wish I had.