Not my favorite thing…
When I was a kid, Mom always made our dentist appointments for the first thing on a Saturday morning. We lived about 15-20 minutes away from his office. That meant I had to get up even earlier so you know I didn’t worry about what to wear to the dentist! Well, sleeping in wasn’t really a thing for us because Mom was a clean freak, and Saturdays were for cleaning! In a way, going to the dentist should have been a treat. Notice I said should have been!
How not to choose a dentist…
I’m not going to name names though my sister will certainly know about whom I’m talking! This dentist had an office in a house. I don’t really know if he lived in that house or just rented space. I cannot even tell you much about what the waiting room was like because it seems like I spent most of the time in the chair! Here goes my tale…you may just want to skip this if you’re at all squeamish or have your own kind of dentist trauma (sorry, Jodie).
Our dentist did not x-ray our teeth. I don’t know if that was common or uncommon. I am, after all, talking about the 60s and early 70s. He also did not employ a dental hygienist (that I’m aware of). I never had my teeth cleaned. What I did have were lots and lots of fillings. Our dentist also did not ever give me a numbing shot before filling my cavities. Yes, you read that right. No kind of numbing, not a thing! To this day, I can recall the pain of him hitting a nerve, and I still flinch! What I did get after every visit was a ring! The dentist would pull open a drawer and present me with a tray of little rings. I would select my treasure and return to the waiting room as my siblings each took their turns. Oh, how I loved those rings…my finger would be green by lunch time…but I loved those rings.
I skipped a few years.
After I got married, I quit going to the dentist for a few years. I was, after all, an adult, and I could make adult decisions! I decided not to go to the dentist. I know I never returned to that dentist after I got married. Nigel had also gone to this dentist a couple of times before we were married. We both agreed he would not be our dentist! In the meantime, we just didn’t go.
Parenthood
After we had the kids, we knew we needed to find a dentist. We tried one down the street from us. It didn’t work. We tried a pediatric dentist. That didn’t work.
And, then we found Dr. Dave!
My sister-in-law had been going to a young dentist located in a small town just a few miles from us. Dr. Dave and his wife (who was a dental assistant) were amazing. In fact, Mrs. Dave was the first person to ever clean my teeth. I was in my mid twenties and had never had my teeth cleaned. I had never even heard of having your teeth cleaned! If I had, I probably assumed it was something only rich people did! Yeah, I was that young, stupid, and naive! Mrs. Dave probably spent an hour scraping, picking, and hacking at the tartar and plaque built up in my mouth. I cannot imagine what it looked like (I wasn’t in the habit of looking inside my mouth). From that point until the present, I have gone to the dentist regularly!
And, then he retired…
Remember I said Dr. Dave was young…well, that was almost four decades ago! He was somewhere close to me in age. He decided to sell his practice but continue for another year seeing only his special patients (is that what we are?)! Guess who was special? If you said Nigel and me, you’d be right! Nigel has his own horror stories to tell about dentistry in his youth and has a mouth full of crowns to back it up! Dr. Dave and his staff were wonderful, but I have to tell you I sat in that chair with my fists clenched each and every time! My favorite part of the visit? Checking out!!
Finding a new dentist…
When we moved, we actually would drive the five hour round trip to see Dr. D! Not until he retired did we seek out a new dentist. When we did, we went with our daughter’s recommendation. I liked that dentist well enough. She was quiet, efficient and had oodles of technology! But, she abruptly retired last year. The dentist who took her place (I’m still trying to figure out if the office is owned by the dentist or something like a hedge fund) is one of those “I’m going to tell you what’s what” kind of guys. I like him. To look at him, you’d think he’s going to be a bit gruff, but he’s actually quite nice.
Dental issues…
I have a couple of dental issues which worry me a bit. I have badly receding gums. Most of this is due to my overly zealous brushing habits! I wore braces in my 30s and was told I needed to keep my teeth clean so I wouldn’t have stains. They didn’t have to tell me twice! I have really big teeth for my mouth so I had had four teeth removed, and the others had to shift to fill in those holes. Consequently, some of the roots of my teeth are just sheered off. This, along with bone loss, has lead to mobility in my teeth. I saw a periodontist this summer about the bone loss.
I had a gum graft more than a decade ago. The periodontist I saw this summer assured me it worked, but I can’t see it! He also told me I will need additional grafts in a few years. He advised me to wear retainers, too. I still wear my top retainer every night! My bottom one doesn’t fit. Guess who’s getting new top and bottom retainers? Oh, yes, that would be me! Darn! My old retainers look like watermelons. I forgot to ask for that! I’ll probably get something that looks like Grandma’s dentures, right?
At my last regular dental visit, my dentist told me the old, old fillings Dr. Horror had put in were crumbling and needed to be replaced. So…four fillings to be replaced the week of Christmas! Happy Holidays to me! In truth, I’m glad I have found this dentist. He is compassionate, genuinely interested in providing me with the absolute best dental care he can, and quick! Oh, and he also uses numbing shots (IDK..is novocaine still the numbing agent). But, that’s at least an hour to two hours out of this week before Christmas!
The Lewk!
Overall, I’m going for comfort and warmth! You never know how warm or cold any office is going to be. I opted to pair these J Jill leggings (seen here) with this cowl neck top. I added jewelry (similar earrings, similar necklace by Kendra Scott and my now trusty and beloved boots from L’Artiste.
It’s all about perspective.
I love this photo! I mean I simply adore it! Look how flat my tummy is. My derriere doesn’t protrude. I just look oh so good! And, it’s all about the camera perspective, isn’t it? The truth is (and you can see just by looking at the other photos) I don’t have a flat tummy and my derriere does protrude a bit. Perspective is reality. I’ve always told Nigel my perspective of a situation is my truth. He didn’t believe me. I’m not sure he even does now after all of his years of my intelligent experience! Nikkie Tutorials does a video series about the power of makeup. If you love Adele, you should check this one out. Makeup, photoshop, perspective…all can combine to make us look one way or another. I’m not saying that’s good or bad. What I am saying is you have to take into account another person’s perspective on whatever…religion, politics, even clothing! Just a little digression to explain this photo!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
Oh, I’m sure this was not the post you were expecting the Monday before Christmas! I know I could have done a Christmas house tour, but I’m just not up for that (there are still boxes of unused lights laying around). So, I thought I’d give you what you least wanted!! A visit to the dentist…Marsha in the Middle style! How about you? Do you love going to the dentist? Do you have a dentist you love (other than Jodie)? Or, do you have horror stories of your own? Join the pity party and leave me a comment! Let’s have a conversation! Thanks to all of you for subscribing, commenting, or even just reading! You are what makes my blog happen! If you like what you read (OK, maybe not this particular post), please consider subscribing and maybe sharing with a friend! When you subscribe, you’ll receive an email telling you there is a new blog post! I promise most are much more fun than this one!
Wow! We didn’t go much to the dentist growing up thankfully i wasn’t prone to cavities. I wore a retainer for a while I remember. Now we have been going to the same dentist for the last 15 years. They do a really nice job even though time befire last i paid 700 for 2 fillings: sone special techy way to do fillings that match perfectly: i wasn’t too happy. I made sure to pick up another sonicare toothbrush after that. I think those things really help teeth and gums. Anyhow that top looks so soft. Pretty color on you and great length. Nice last pic ?.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
We don’t have dental insurance, but we do have a dental discount card. My four fillings were less than $400! They don’t match perfectly, but they aren’t the silver color my old ones were.
I didn’t even talk about how soft and squishy this top is! It really is comfortable. The other color isn’t on sale, but I might snap it up once it does go on sale. I live in these kinds of tops during the winter!
Thanks for coming y, Mireille!
Eeeek not a story I like to start my day with. Not going into war stories to see who has the worst. I’m just going to say you look fabulous in your dental outfit. I love the tunic top and want one. The color is such a romantic feminine color. It would calm a gruff dentist and encourage them to be gentle.
Thanks, Lesley! I wasn’t sure about how this color looked against my skin. I have to be careful with these tones otherwise I just look like a block of color! I have to tell you my dentist is amazing. He kept asking if I was OK and to let him know if I needed to take a break. He may look gruff, but he is just as nice as can be!
I’m guessing you must have a war story or two!
Happy holidays, Lesley!
When I was 13 my sister (who was chubby at the time) and named ‘Carol’ threw a can of Aqua Net hairspray right at my face. I was singing ‘Carol, Carol fat as a barrel’ to her. Long story short: It knocked one of my front teeth in HALF. Mom took me to the nasty dentist we had and he put a SILVER CAP on my front tooth! Can you image?? 13 with a silver cap on my tooth?!! Kids used to say ‘Hi Ho Silver’ when I would walk into a room. Needless to say a porcelain cap replaced the silver one a year later.
Oh, Kathy, that would be traumatic! I know they say kids are mean now, but I know for a fact they were none too sweet back in the day! And, you had to wear it for a year!!
Thanks so much for coming by!
Given that we’ve moved 2000 miles East, we need to find a new dentist too. But not yet. First I put it off because of unpacking and setting up the new house. And now omicron will have me mostly staying home until the case numbers drop again. And who knows when that will be?
Like you, I never had my teeth cleaned as a child, but it was because my parents didn’t take me to the dentist. I don’t think they ever had their teeth cleaned as children, and their parents only took them when there was a problem. I never had any problems with my teeth – until my top wisdom came in. I was in my 20s and there was no room for them. They had to be pulled. But they were hanging on by a thread, and it wasn’t all thy traumatic. So that began my era of visiting the dentist more regularly for cleanings and such.
I have a very small filling on my last upper molar on the right side. It was so shallow the dentist didn’t numb me, but I never felt a thing. I’ve had a couple of great dentists, and only one really bad one who tried to tell me all the coffee stains in the center of my molars were cavities and needed to be filled. If I’d known who to turn him into, I’d have reported him. I shudder to think how many people now have had their perfectly fine teeth drilled. It makes me mad just thinking about it now, and that was almost 20 years ago.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Oh, geez! It does make you wonder. I’ve been lucky since Dr. Horror. All of my dentists have had a wait and see attitude about things. I don’t know why I had so many cavities because brushing our teeth was a big deal with my mom!
I don’t blame you for waiting. My dentist is very pro vaccine and everyone masks up. I hope we don’t go through the entire Greek alphabet before the rest of the country decides to get their vaccinations. I’m so ready to live life fully again.
All of that, and I forgot to comment on your outfit. I love it! I’m a bit envious of how good you look in pink, because I do not. But I still get to enjoy seeing others wear it.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com,
Hahaha! I have done that before! I have to be careful with pink. If I get the wrong tone, I just look awful. I had a school picture taken one year wearing the wrong pink (I didn’t understand undertones then). My friend laughed and said it looked like I didn’t have a neck. She was right! And, there is that picture in so many kids’ yearbooks!
I’m lucky I have very strong teeth and a great dentist. Love that top the colour is so beautiful.
Oh, you are so lucky, Nancy! I didn’t think I had bad teeth as a kid, but I must have since I have a mouthful of fillings! I have really been careful of my teeth as my mom had to have all of hers pulled in her 30s. I do wish I’d just stayed with the crooked teeth and never had braces. I think that was the start of a lot of my problems!
Have a fabulous holiday season, Nancy!
That looks like a cozy and stylish outfit! My boys are weird in that they have always enjoyed going to the dentist. I like our dentist but I don’t enjoy going.
My kids really liked Dr. Dave, too. And, all three have continued going to the dentist as adults! I also spent a small fortune for braces for all three of them so they’d better take care of those smiles! I don’t think I will ever say I enjoy going to the dentist…unless he was passing out rings for good behavior…then, I might consider it!
Have a fabulous holiday, Joanne!
What a fascinating post. Strangely I always used to enjoy going to the dentist (not now) and found it relaxing, I say “strangely” because like you, my first dentist, known as “the school dentist,” didn’t ever numb us and only had the drill that rumbles and vibrates way; plus no x rays. But now, it’s all got too hi-tech for me. I can’t bear the plastic umbrella thing they put in your mouth.
That’s interesting, Gail. I was thinking, before my appointment, if I could wear my husband’s ear thingees to drown out the sound of the drill. But, I completely forgot about it. Then, it occurred to me I probably wouldn’t be able to hear anything because the drilling would be in my mouth. I was so numbed up this time, I didn’t feel a thing. But, that sound just sends shivers down my spine!
I was so surprised when they made my new retainers. The dental assistant just ran this hi-tech thing around my mouth. It transferred an image of my teeth and gums right onto the screen! The retainers fit like they were made for me…oops, they WERE made for me!
Thanks so much for coming by, Gail!
I love your “dentist” outfit! Really classy and stylish, but comfy too! I always wonder what to wear on my dentist trips and end up wearing something old because I’m afraid stray bits of gunk might miss the scratchy napkin draped around my neck!
When I was a kid, he did the cleaning. He was the only one there, no assistant either. And he had the rings too! Loved the excitement I felt knowing the ring-pick was coming at the end! What do you think boys’ rewards were?!
I’m always amazed by your posts! Each unique, fun, and thought provoking! I don’t know where your ideas come from, but your talent is a gift. Your style and fashion knowledge really help me think about clothes in a different way. Like, clothes are a thing to think about! The colors! The fancy words of description! Can you tell I’m a t-shirt gal?! “Comfort” mostly my guide?! Used to wear Adidas and my high school mascot! Now, vacation souvenir, movie themed, and back to nostalgia from from my youth! My favorite is a gray “Polaroid” logo shirt that finally got a hole! And, guess what? I found a “new” one on eBay!! I always try to pick out the appropriate flannel shirt accessory in the winter! But that’s another story!
Thanks for giving me a smile and a break to relax with your read. Merry Christmas! Enjoy your family and holidays! Wonder what Christmas sweater you will wear?! Maybe you will dazzle us for New Year’s! I might try a soft cardigan over a scoop neck top! (My daughter thanks you!)
Oh, Becky, you make me laugh as you know I’m not always that dressed up! And, there’s nothing wrong with t-shirts! I do love a good graphic t-shirt! I don’t think I’ve seen your Polaroid one! I’m trying to figure out Christmas Eve and Day right now! Dazzle you for New Years? Nope, I’ll be in my flannel pjs watching some drag show, I imagine! And, tell your daughter she’s welcome!