Martha Hall age:64
Charlotte, North Carolina
Short story post to our blog
Health–Wellness–Three 60
My husband and even my friends always told me I had a “movie star smile” But my once pristine and healthy teeth were threatening to fall right out.
I was spending thousands of dollars at the dentist. Worse, my breath had turned rancid and impossible to mask. No amount of breath mints or mouthwash could hide it…
How could this happen? I was even ashamed to let my husband kiss me…and for YEARS I followed my dentist’s advice without fail. But my teeth and gums remained weak, inflamed, and bloody.
And the pain! Sometimes as simple as a cold beverage or a crunchy snack would fill my jaw with stabbing pain and I’d almost cry.
I just told people I was “nervous about air pollution”…
…but the reality is, I was embarrassed and ashamed about my smile.
And of course I hoped I could trap the awful stink before it got out of hand.
The worst part is when I heard my granddaughter whisper to my daughter…
“Mommy, how come Grandma doesn’t love us?”
I didn’t have to ask or keep listening to know what she meant. I never smiled in front of my family and I always kept them a few feet away.
No wonder she thought I didn’t love her! Even though I DO love her with all my heart!
My stomach dropped the last time I visited the dentist and saw the bill.
$4700!!!
My dentist told me that FIRST, we’d do the root canal.
And THEN I’d get fitted for a crown…which would take MONTHS!
Then FINALLY I’d get the stupid thing installed!
And then even HE got this weird look on his face and his shoulders tensed up.
I asked him what was wrong…and then he gave me the “bad news”…
There was no guarantee that this surgery would be a 100{bb30684de8500b26033cb8427b694e258d7250f065d0e32d087e29f7241d49e5} success.
I’d been in his chair more times than I could count.
That meant thousands of dollars down the drain
and hours if not DAYS of my life I would never get back.
But what choice did I have?
None whatsoever…or so I thought.
Lucky for me, I had a chance encounter that changed my life.
Turns out, my dental hygiene routine was NOT the issue…
Plus now I wasn’t afraid of food or drinks! (Apples? Corn? Ribs? Coffee? Wine? Chocolate? I could have it all!)
I could eat what I wanted when I wanted. And I finally give my granddaughter all the overdue kisses she deserved.
Of course, I still had to finish getting that final implant from the dentist…
And every time I see that implant, I remind myself that NOTHING can grow back a lost tooth!
Which means I need to keep on doing what works and never change it!
Anyway, I got my smile back. And because my gums were now healthy, I knew I’d get to keep that smile for good.
I was “Movie Star Annette” all over again…and my husband couldn’t stop smiling either!
Now I’m the person who lights up the room. All my friends and family know exactly how much I love them and say I inspire them to be happier too!
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