Tooth! (Photo credit: Jacob Johan)

…my teeth!!! Hard to believe, but I’m convinced of it.

A visit to the dentist the end of May for teeth cleaning brought discomfort to my right back molar. I dismissed it hoping with time the ache would disappear. While pain came and went in varying degrees, as the weeks progressed it became chronic. As is usually the case, self-diagnosing came to a halt. I decided it was time to call the expert…my dentist.

After some root canal work, it was pronounced that I had an infected tooth. Bacteria had probably been festering beneath the gold crown for some time. Who knows how long it’s been since a dentist checked beneath that molar. It’s been more than a decade since I regularly visited a dentist. The last time was in Connecticut. Even the xray taken by my dentist yesterday failed to show the extent of the problem. Drilling a hole through the crown was necessary. The dentist cleaned out the tooth but is uncertain if there’s more that he can’t see. I’ll return for further work, including a new crown. Meanwhile I’m on 1500 milligrams of amoxycillin a day for a week or so.

When I awoke this morning it’s as though the weight I’d carried around in my neck and shoulders for months had been lifted. I felt like a new woman. The fog that engulfed my head, lifted. The view from the summit, crystal clear. The headaches I’d been experiencing, gone.

I literally bounced out of bed, my energy at an all time high. I couldn’t wait to tackle my chores, though I’ve such a backlog, I need more than one day to cross them all off my “to-do” list. But even more surprising, the fatigue I usually begin to experience by late afternoon did not materialize. It still hasn’t, and it’s nearing my bedtime. I even managed to walk for half-an-hour after dinner.

No longer a “doubting Thomas,” I firmly believe our teeth hold the secret to longevity. Neglect them, and they will deteriorate taking us with them. I’ll bet the ills that befall the poor, the aging, the sick, and those who take life for granted stem from a lack of basic dental hygiene.

My eyes have been opened to faithfully…

…brushing… flossing… and visiting the dentist…regularly…

Postcard from the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

…hugmamma.