Kids, brush your teeth (and floss, daily)

So, I finally decided that it was time to go to the dentist. It had been quite some time. Let's just say (and for the record I am SO embarrassed) that the last time I went, my mom drove me. I know this is horrible and gasp worthy. But in my defense, I didn't have dental in college. 

So I figured with my new stellar dental insurance  it was time to bite the bullet and go. So with a few recommendations, I settled on a dentist (thanks, Jenna). 

So Friday morning rolls around and off I go. I was quite nervous but decided that the worst possible thing that could happen would be for them to tell me that I needed a whole new grill. 

My dental hygenist was very friendly and went to work cleaning my teeth. Lets just say that I don't think I have ever felt more unattractive in my life. I'm laying there, mouth open, eyes watering from the overhead light 3 inches above my face, and water from his waterpick thingy is splashing all over my face and up my nose. He paused about every 10 seconds to dab my face with a napkin. He asked me how often I flossed, and I winced and gave him my "at least twice a week" answer. Well folks, twice a week doesn't cut it. 

So the prognosis wasn't too bad. The dentist told me a had some cavities (most were small, with only one really big one) and that I would need to do a deep gum cleaning (resulting from only flossing twice a week) and some fillings. He said he was actually quite impressed that my teeth looked as good as they did considering I was a minor the last time I went to a dentist. 

So today I went in for my right side fillings and right side deep cleaning. It wasn't too terribly bad. The worst part was when he put the shot in my gum. After that I was so numb I felt like my cheek was a floating balloon. The best part was afterward when the nurse told me to rinse my mouth out with water. Thank God I was standing over the sink because I soon forgot that I had no feeling in my cheeks and the water just sort of "fell out" of my mouth. So here I am slurping on a smoothie, feeling like I had a stroke on one side of my face (my right cheek is drooping slightly). The moral of my long drug out story is: go to the dentist, floss daily, and avoid hard candy.

Side note: my dentist looks just like the man in the above picture, but he is about 10 years older. Very sweet man, though