Words of Wisdom

I don't often dole out advice. I am full of opinions, but I also think it is every adult's inalienable right to ignore advice--particularly the unsolicited kind. However, I wish I had known this many moons and now many dollars ago.

Evidently, I clinch my teeth on a regular basis. My dentist called me a "grinder," but I do not think this is accurate. I am well aware that when I am stressed (which is far too often--remember, I earned an anxiety disorder diagnosis this year--go me!), my jaw is in a firmly clinched position.

As a result of the grinding or clinching (Sweetheart supports me in denying ever having heard me grind my teeth at night), my teeth are royally fucked.

I have managed to crack three of my four bottom molars due to the pressure on the teeth. Evidently, the previous fillings only serve as a wedge to make the teeth cracking more efficient. I was prepped for the first molar on Tuesday. I will have the crown seated in 2 weeks and on that day be prepped for the second crown. The third one is not as bad so my poor mouth (and poorer wallet) can wait a bit to fix that one. I will be fitted for a night guard to prevent grinding. I have been advised to wear it during the day during stressful times. It should be interesting to talk to my manager wearing a mouth guard. :-)

Anyway, I knew about the clinching a while back, but I had no idea how much it would damage my teeth, my poor aching mouth, and my finances going into summer travel sesason.

If you know you do this--get a freaking mouth guard. I know many insurances don't pay for them, but given that a crown is $1000 bucks and insurance pays less than half, a few bucks on a mouth guard is money well spent.

End of lesson. I will be setting up my PayPal account for donations in the upcoming days. Thank you in advance for your participation. (that last part is not really true.)