Okay, this might be weird since we were talking about ankles yesterday, but another inherited trait I want to talk about is my teeth. The inherited part is that I have large teeth and a big smile. I love it! That is one of the things that people comment on most of my features. I've even had a random street vendor in San Francisco shout out, "You've got a beautiful smile. Keep smiling!" However, I had some issues with my teeth when I was younger. I still have darker spots on my teeth, which I have had since I was young, and they happened because of there being too much fluoride in the water. (A dentist told me it was called fluoridosis). I remember one time a boy pointing it out and coming up with the nickname of "tartar teeth" for me. That was devastating to me and it stuck for a long time. However, as I've gotten older, more and more people comment on how white my teeth are. I don't know if things have changed (because I feel there are still darker spots), but it's been a good boost of confidence.
On the other side, I've had some love-hate relationships with my teeth. When I was young, I loved going to the dentist. Of course, I might have loved it a lot more than others because my dentist was my grandpa. The last thing that he did on my teeth was take out my wisdom teeth and then he retired. I actually went to college after that and ended up having to go to a dentist during the time I was at BYU. I ended up with a cavity that they claimed they took care of, but when I got home and we went to our new dentist (who was good like my grandpa), he told me that they had not cleaned it completely and I ended up having to get a root canal.
Since I was going back to BYU, I got the root canal out here in Provo and that was another horrible experience. The guy was good at what he did, but he was an interesting guy. Thank goodness, I went home to my normal dentist after that and he put on my crown. Every dentist that has seen my teeth since have raved about my crown. It must be good. :) However, even though I had a great dentist now I hated going to the dentist because I always seemed to have a cavity or two. However, I was pleasantly surprised the last time I went when he said no cavities. I almost thought he was joking! I was so happy to hear that I didn't have to come back. I have really tried to take better care of my teeth. Ryan has had a rough time with his teeth because of all radiation he went through during his cancer treatment. That is why we have both been working hard at taking care of our teeth. Flossing, brushing, and using mouthwash.
The new one that I want to do to show that I appreciate my teeth (and my parents for putting me in braces - thanks mom and dad!) is putting on my retainers. Yes, I still have them and I should use them more often. I am blessed to have straight teeth and I should show that I am grateful for that by helping them stay straight.
I really am blessed to have good teeth. I have really been trying to also take better care of my teeth by not drinking a lot of soda, drink more milk, and calcium pills. I love my teeth and I want to keep them strong. I am grateful for all of the things that they can do. I am also grateful for my smile. This is to my grandpa: I will work better on not using my teeth to hold things or open things with them. I want to keep my teeth forever!
I really do want to thank my grandpa for being such a good dentist and always checking our teeth when we would go over. He was always concerned about our health and he took such good care of us. My sister Jonelle mentioned that he asked to look at her teeth when we were there for Christmas. I was a little jealous that he didn't look at mine. It's been a long time since he's asked, but maybe next time, if I'm lucky. :)
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