I was all bouncy about my dentist appointment today, because I thought it was the last one in a long, long chain of what sometimes seemed like endless dentist appointments. Alas, I have two more. All the big stuff is done now though. My teeth align properly, my jaw works the way it should without pain or popping, the teeth that needed it have been reshaped and rebuilt. My oral health is, in fact, better than it has been in my entire life. But, I have four old-style amalgam fillings, and he wants to replace them before they start causing me problems … and he anticipates them causing me problems in a couple of years. I agree with him. Every amalgam filling I have ever had has caused me problems, and these are starting to get that look they get before they break or fall out. So two more appointments, and THEN it will all be over.

Well, not entirely, seeing as I still have to decide what to do (or not) about replacing the teeth that had to go two years ago. But I will be done enough that I can take a break from all these dental appointments for a while and just enjoy having a healthy mouth. Six months of monthly dentist appointments is not only expensive, but it wears on a person. It’ll be at least six months before I want to see my dentist again.

But while there was the disappointment of two more dentist visits on the agenda, there were also two really awesome things that happened too.

I ate my pizza tonight without having to think about how or where in my mouth I was chewing. I didn’t have to worry about taking too big of a bite and my jaw popping, or something getting stuck between gappy molars, or biting the inside of my cheek. It took me a couple of bites to remember that I had been cleared to chew with abandon. It felt weird for a few minutes, and I did keep expecting the usual pain or the bitten inner cheek, but no … I was chewing with gusto! I don ‘t even have words to describe how wonderful it is going to be to put something edible in my mouth –anything edible, nothing is off limits anymore– and just eat it without having to think about it.

Also, I chewed the first piece of chewing gum I have had in my mouth for at least 20 years (probably longer). It’s something millions of people do every day and which I have been denied. People always offer other people gum, and I’ve always had to say “no” … I imagine people began to think I didn’t like gum, but I do. I DO! I always did. I’ll admit, I was like a kid getting their first piece of gum ever. Tomorrow, I think I’m going to buy me some bubble gum. I loved bubble gum when I was a kid, but then my wisdom teeth came in and all hell broke out in my mouth. I can’t wait to sit in my lounge chair in a nice sunny location and just chew some bubble gum and blow some bubbles. Which bubble gum blows the best and biggest bubbles? I want to really blow some whoppers. The kind that pop and get all over your face!

So … a little disappointment about not quite being done with all this yet, but some cool stuff too. I guess that’s not too bad of a day. Though I do have to tell you, I am fatigued. I was utterly tired when I left this morning, and now, there’s just no energy left. I’m going to go take a nice hot shower, put on my pajamas, and my healthy mouth and I will be going to bed to have sweet dreams of chewing any damn thing I want to chew with glee!

And I’ve just been smiling and smiling and smiling. I can’t stop smiling! It feels good to smile. I’ve missed that too.