Went to Family Dental this past Sunday for a routine cleaning and checkup. This place was recommended by both Justin and Spencer. If you go to this place, you should really do the referral thing. I knew they'd get some sort of credit if I referred them (out of courtesy, I made sure they got credit for the referral even though I didn't think I'd get any benefit), but I didn't know that I'd get a credit too. $20 each for the referrer and the referee.
The Setting
The office is really nice. There are SyncMaster lcd panels mounted in each booth/room so you can watch TV while you wait for the dentist/hygienist. Their x-rays are digitally scanned in, and the dentist puts them up on the lcd for you to see. I think that's pretty slick.
The History
I haven't been to the dentist as regularly as they recommend.
The dentists always told me that my teeth were in great shape but that I needed to floss or else I'd have strong, cavity-free teeth falling out of my head.
*I pulled pretty much all my own teeth except that one and the first couple. My grandma did the first one or two. After going through her method, I decided I would do the rest of my own teeth. I won't go into all of the details now, but her method involved thread, lots of tries, bleeding, crying, a door, and a salt-water cocktail to top off the experience.
**nokii sent this story about a legal proceeding concerning Coke and tooth decay. I whole-heartedly agree with the court's ruling in favor of Coke. The condition of my own teeth should be proof enough.
The Cleaning
After going through this a couple of times, I had a good guess about how much plaque should have built up given the length of time since my last visit. I was expecting the usual scrape-so-hard-it-feels-like-they're-pulling-out-your-teeth thing followed by an extended rinsing routine with lots of blood. There was none of that. So either that month of flossing helped quite a bit, or the water pick is far superior to the metal one (first time I've had one of those used on me). I like to think it was the flossing.
Did years of massive Coke consumption have any effect on my teeth? Are my teeth now completely full of holes and without enamel? No. My teeth are fine with the exception of one very tiny cavity in the upper back. Considering how hostile I've been to them, I take pride in the strength of the Song family's teeth genes. However, part of me is forlorn that I let a small cavity develop. Song teeth are supposed to be "strong and cavity-free", not just "strong". Oh, the shame!
The Conclusion
I had a good experience with them. I'm going back in next week to get the cavity filled and to get fitted for a night guard to protect my teeth from all the grinding I do when I sleep.
The Experiment
Now that I have a clean slate from which to start, I'm going to try flossing every night. The expected result is that when I go in next time, they'll say, "Why, your teeth are so clean that we don't need to do anything. No charge for this visit. Thanks for stopping by."
I'm also trying out some of those whitening strips. My little cousin told me that my teeth were yellow. Doh. Pics to come once I'm done with the set.
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kim family teeth are bad. always have small cavities every couple years. boo hoo. i am expecting root canals when i turn 55.
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