Tag Archives: periodontist

May26

Don’t Knock It!

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Don’t Knock It!

Hello!! Those of you who have been long term readers of lifewithlilred will know that I absolutely despise going to the dentist due to a horrible oral surgery gone wrong. For those of you who are just tuning in: I absolutely despise going to the dentist due to a horrible oral surgery gone wrong lol. It took a lot of time for me to feel even remotely comfortable going to routine cleanings and I am proud to say that they are a lot easier than they once were. Part of it definitely has to do with where I go for my cleanings: Aspen Dental.

I know, I know – Aspen Dental isn’t the most well reviewed dentistry practice in the world. In fact, I know several people who vowed to never step foot in one again lol. However, it is affordable and I love my oral hygienist who has been taking care of me since I started going a handful of years ago. She is well aware of my dentist phobia and does her best to accommodate anything that I need to make me more comfortable. This includes explaining everything she’s doing as she does it as well as providing ample time for me to take breaks. It might not seem like much but it has transformed my appointments into a more positive experience and encourages me to keep trying to do better with my oral health.

I had an appointment at Aspen Dental this past week and as I was waiting for the dentist to check in on me after my cleaning, I couldn’t help but snap this picture of my X-Rays. It always makes me laugh to see my piercings show up:

^^^ Lol so cool!

As I waited, I also pondered all of the ways that Aspen Dental has helped me. Regardless of if the practice as a whole might not be well received, the people who work at mine are phenomenal and their expertise is crystal clear. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is Don’t Knock It! I began going to Aspen Dental because they were able to get me in immediately for a chipped tooth. That experience alone told me everything I needed to know because I was upset and in pain and they took excellent care of me. I scheduled an appointment for a cleaning that very day, kept every single appointment since, and have no regrets. I feel fully confident in their team and I hope this instills confidence in you should you ever need to get dental help ASAP!

My appointment went great this week and I feel so good about the strides I have made in tackling my phobia and improving my oral health. I can’t believe I’m saying it but… I’m actually looking forward to my next cleaning!

What are you scared of? What helped you get over your fears? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan12

Extra New Year’s Resolution

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Extra New Year’s Resolution

Howdy!! I have never been one for making New Year’s Resolutions, but this year I made three: To keep going to the gym, to be better at saying no, and to make more time for friends. I am pleased to report that I have made good on all of those so far!! I had my first gym visit of 2025, I have been firm in saying no and not taking on more than I can handle, and I have made lots of fun plans for outings with my friends, nieces, and Johnny. I know we’re barely into 2025, but I am really proud of myself because these goals are not just empty words – I am actually doing it!

As I was feeling particularly inspired by my progress, I decided to add a new goal for myself after a trip to the dentist this past Wednesday. In case you don’t know, I had an oral surgery that went terribly wrong. It resulted in a lot of issues, particularly with my gums, and only intensified my fear of the dentist. Since all of that, I have been working diligently at reversing my periodontal disease. In fact, during my last appointment at the dentist, I only needed a regular cleaning rather than a deep gum cleaning. It felt like I was finally getting on the right track and I was thrilled.

At my appointment on Wednesday, I was a bit disappointed as my gum measurements weren’t as good as they were before. I had a decent amount of twos and threes, but way more fours than I remember. My hygienist reassured me that everything was still looking healthy. However, that just wasn’t enough for me and I knew I needed to reevaluate my oral health. Before I headed home, I announced that at my next appointment in May, I am going to have WAY less fours. My hygienist encouraged me and told me she knew I could do it and I can’t let myself or her down.

That night and every day since, I have been paying extra close attention to the technique of my brushing. My findings? I got LAZY after not needing a deep gum cleaning! The difference I felt when I was actually paying attention to brushing my teeth was night and day. This confirmed that I do have the technique down, but I need to make a real effort to fully commit to it. Challenge accepted because I’m crushing my resolutions so far so I know I can do this too!

I am expecting excellent results at my next dentist appointment in May and I think I am well on my way to achieving it. New Year, kind of New Me!!

Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? How goes your progress? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar18

A Trip To The Periodontist

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A Trip To The Periodontist

Hello! At the beginning of 2019, I had my wisdom teeth removed and got gum grafting done. Unfortunately, what should have been a pretty routine surgery went horribly wrong and I was limited to a liquid diet for over a month. I still shudder at the sight of Ensure! After this mishap, I refused to go to any type of dentist because I was scared and my oral hygiene deeply suffered from it. This went on for over a year until I finally agreed to make an appointment with the periodontist who my mom recommended and promised was really nice. She was right!

Since 2020, I have gone to my periodontist several times for regular cleanings and deep gum cleanings to repair the damage that had been done. I tried my best to go along with their recommendations, but ended up falling short of expectations every appointment. It was very disappointing, to say the least. During my last appointment this past October, I had to get X-rays taken of my teeth to prep for my next deep cleaning. The process was long and uncomfortable and after that appointment, I threw my hands in the air and said “screw it”. Then, I went to the store and bought floss picks for the very first time in my adult life.

After that fateful appointment, I flossed morning and night like my life depended on it. I was so sick and tired of lackluster results and knew that some of the fault was my own at this point. At first, the flossing hurt like a mother and don’t even get me started on using Listerine afterwards because that was about a bitch too lol. However, it did get easier and less painful as time went on. I just didn’t know if it was enough to finally get the stamp of approval from my periodontist.

This past Wednesday, I had an early morning appointment to get a deep gum cleaning and I was nervous AF. Not for the cleaning itself because it’s not that bad, but for what would be found when my gums were examined. I informed my periodontist that I started flossing and he took a look at what was going on before prepping for the cleaning. Within ten seconds, he told me that they weren’t going to do anything and that I could go home. You could have knocked me over with a feather!!

Thanks to the new step in my oral hygiene routine, the pockets around my teeth started to shrink and went down over two sizes. This was the first time in FOUR years that I had not just good results, but excellent and I was beyond thrilled. The entire team at the office was so proud of me and, damnit, I was too. I couldn’t stop smiling all morning because of my GREAT SUCCESS and the fact that the smile I was flashing was a healthy one.

Although flossing was a better late than never situation for me, don’t be like me lol. I was absolutely traumatized from my surgery gone wrong and it made me stubborn. Had I done what I needed to do in the first place, my oral hygiene would have been in a good place years ago. Listen to your healthcare professionals because I promise you they know what they’re talking about and the small changes to your routines can really help!

Do you have a fear of the doctor or dentist? What helped you overcome it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar9

GOOD FOR ME!!

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GOOD FOR ME!!

Hello! In 2019, I had a major mishap with an oral surgery gone wrong which resulted in me not being able to eat for over a month. I still can’t see a bottle of Ensure without shuddering! Prior to this incident, I always hated going to the dentist but afterwards, I was even more fearful and flat out refused to go. After a lot of feet dragging, I ended up in the care of a wonderful periodontist who told me that we had a lot of work to do because my gums were in such bad shape.

Every visit to my new doctor was a little bit better than the last and I ended up buying the recommended tools to help me achieve better oral health. My first purchase was an electric toothbrush and while things had improved, we still weren’t there yet. Next, I bought my Waterpik (Which I love!) and have been using it diligently for the past half a year morning and night.

This past week, I had another appointment with my periodontist and I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t nervous. I thought that my mouth was doing better but, then again, I’ve thought that before and had less than impressive results to show for it. Which is why I could have burst into song when the hygienist took her first look at my teeth and gums and said that they were looking good!

Her confirmation of my hard work was the first time I had heard a compliment from someone in the dental health field in literal years and it felt great. My periodontist even said that I had come a very long way and if I keep up the good work, there is probably nothing more that they can do for me after my next few visits. Trust and believe that the hallelujah chorus was singing at full blast in my mind.

This may seem like a small accomplishment but it was huge for me and I felt so proud of myself. After such a traumatizing experience that resulted in trips to the ER and drinking water from a huge syringe, I vowed to never step foot in a dentist’s office again. My periodontist helped me get over my fear and I am so appreciative to him because I knew that my teeth and gums were in bad shape but he and his team never made me feel judged about it.

After leaving my appointment, I was walking on cloud nine because I got over a massive phobia and I had excellent results to show for it. I still have a ways to go but my gum health is no longer in the danger zone and it feels good to be taking much better care of myself. GOOD FOR ME!

Do you have any phobias? How did you overcome your fear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep12

Pikin’ & Grinnin’

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Pikin’ & Grinnin’

Hello! First of all, major props to whomever got the Hee Haw reference of this post title! Second of all, I have been absolutely loving the waterpik that I purchased after my visit to the periodontist last week. During my appointment, I was so pleased to learn that my dental problems had remained stable during my long stint of no check ups thanks to the pandemic. To continue improving the issues, I bought a waterpik as soon as I got home as per the recommendations of the professionals:

I am still getting used to using my new waterpik and literally every review I have read on them was right – it is very messy at first! I have had to resort to laying a bath towel around the sink because the water just gets everywhere. I know that these mini flash floods in my bathroom will come to a halt once I get better at using the waterpik, though, so that is not a deterrent in the slightest.

I also read on the reviews for the waterpik that I bought that it was incredibly noisy but I haven’t found that to be true at all. It has the noise you would expect from a product like this – nothing more, nothing less. Even if it were obnoxiously loud, you can’t beat the price of this waterpik (about seventy dollars) for how well it works and all of the different accessories that comes with it.

This waterpik included five different tips which will help in different ways:

  • Plaque seeker tip: This one needs no further explanation
  • Toothbrush tip: Neither does this one
  • Tongue cleaner tip: Or this one
  • Orthodontic tip: This one is good for people with braces
  • Pik pocket tip: This is the one that I use as it gets deep into the periodontal pockets for an intense clean

I have been using my waterpik with the pik pocket tip every morning and night and my gums have already started to feel better. They are not as tender and I feel them getting healthier with every use. Dare I say it, I am almost looking forward to my next appointments with my dentist and periodontist because this is going to improve my oral hygiene tenfold and I think that they are going to be proud! 😀

Do you use a waterpik? How do you feel about going to the dentist? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah