From Dentist to Florist!

Britmums and Oral-B have challenged bloggers to blog about gum health experiences or tips or any personal dental anecdotes to celebrate the launch of new Oral-B Pro-Expert Premium Gum Protection toothpaste.

Now I wasn't speedy enough to sign up for a free sample but I do care sufficiently about my teeth and gums to get excited enough about the launch of a toothpaste that is specifically formulated to help protect gums that I went out immediately and bought a tube of my own to try out.

A lot of people are aware that gum problems can arise during pregnancy and sure enough with all 3 of my pregnancies I did have gums that bled and were sore but thankfully it did resolve following each pregnancy. I made sure I visited my dentist regularly to keep an eye on things!

It wasn't only during pregnancy that I suffered from gum problems though. Having experienced fillings being done as a child (from a horrible dentist - more about that later), I began to brush my teeth for extended periods of time (over 30 minutes each day) and brushed really aggressively under the totally wrong assumption that it would make my teeth super clean so that I wouldn't need more fillings. Oh how wrong I was. I ended up with receeding and sore gums and never learnt to look after my teeth correctly until I was much older.

Now I use an electric Oral-B toothbrush which has a pressure sensor light. That way I can be sure that I am brushing without applying too much pressure to my gums. I also floss daily and floss correctly now.

That childhood dentist used to tell me not to be silly when I said I didn't like the drill and that is was 'just the same as having your nails cut' (which it is not!!! and which incidentally I also hated having done).

When I was old enough to choose my own dentist, I found a truly wonderful dentist. I think I can hand on heart say that I never feared going to the dentist during that time. When he said 'this won't hurt a bit' he really told the truth and it wouldn't hurt.

For years, I was happy. My teeth were happy. My gums were happy. Until one day, I turned up for a check-up to find the practice had been taken over by a new dentist and my dentist had given up dentistry to become a florist!

Oh how lucky those flowers are to have a dentist as wonderful as that.

This post is an entry for BritMums’ #ORALBLoveYourGums Challenge  sponsored by Oral-B, promoting healthy gums – something especially important for pregnant women. Get tips and advice on www.oralb-loveyourgums.com.