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TIFU by not going to a dentist for 20 years

Honestly, this is more of a "Today I Stopped Fucking UP" but I wanted to make the post anyway, especially if it can inspire some folks to go.

So, I think my last dental cleaning/check-up/whatever you call it was when I was 12 or 13 years old. Dental hygiene wasn't ever firmly enforced on me growing up and as a shithead pre-teen I found out I could get away without doing it with just a few work arounds. Parents didn't find out or really care when they did catch me, and I created a bad habit that followed me MUCH too far into my adult life.

Flash forward to now, in my early 30s. Two teeth that have broken/shattered over the years (unfortunately they both happened when I didn't have dental insurance) that I just face-tanked. The SEARING and MISERABLE pain of exposed nerves that stuck around for years, the self-lancing of multiple abscesses, having the side of my face swell up like a balloon just before a flight - that I ended up popping and draining while in the airplane bathroom 30 minutes in... Not to mention the fact that I was too embarrassed about what I had going on in there to even engage in conversations about teeth in front of my own friends.

My girlfriend of a little over a year (bless her FUCKING heart) finally convinced me to go via gentle pressure, endless support, and helping me get over the "I don't want to know how fucked up it is in there" mentality. I had my first diagnostic and x-ray session last week, and my first cleaning this week. I've got a few places that are more sensitive now, and a handful of fillings and extractions scheduled (those two broken ones are 100% lost causes)... But I can confidently say that I've begun to take back my health, my teeth are on the road to preserving what I've got, and likely, I won't be dying from an abscess turning into a full blood infection.

I'm not proud of how long it took, but I'm proud that I did it. Same goes for my first Primary Care Provider appointments that I had to drag myself to late last year :)

If you haven't been to the dentist in a while... GO. Otherwise you're only hurting yourself... and it. will. HURT. so badly. It's avoidable, fixable, and they will have ALWAYS seen worse.

Also, find yourself someone who isn't going to tear you down or judge you, but will help you address your own faults for the benefit of both of you (if you're into that)

TL;DR: 20 years since I last went to the dentist, was terrified to find out how bad things had gotten. I was finally inspired to go by my (very supportive) girlfriend and it wasn't anywhere near as bad of a scenario as I'd built up in my head. GO TO THE DENTIST.

EDIT: Even before I went, my mouth wasn't visually disgusting beyond some spots - at least not without REALLY trying to look at the broken ones. Just not healthy. The broken teeth weren't FRONT teeth, but further back in the mouth. Not visible, cleaned out often, and not preventative of any mouth-ly activities.

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