It was a phase
There was a period of time as a kid when my answer to the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" was "A dentist." My mother thought this was a great idea and encouraged it by getting me a Cabbage Patch Kid Dental Unit, like this:
(Wow. That ad picture is so early 90s.)
I'm SO GLAD I outgrew that phase. Ugh. The idea is so not appealing to me now.
But that's where I spent my morning - getting my teeth cleaned. Fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos mean that getting my teeth cleaned has an extra layer of complication.
As important as I know flossing is, it's hard to be motivated to floss when I know my jaw is likely to slip out of alignment and spend time popping every time I try to open my mouth because of TMJ disorder. It's way worse during a cleaning with all the time my mouth has to be open and that can mean a day or two of it being misaligned with the muscles all inflamed. In fact, I took a full dose of anti-inflammatories with breakfast prior to going to the dentist.
Fibromyalgia makes me more sensitive to chemicals and tastes, especially when I'm in the middle of a fibro flare. When I'm flaring, foods that are moderately spicy feel like they are burning my mouth and the same is true for toothpaste and mouthwash, even alcohol free.
Chronic pain makes it hard to sit in one position for the whole half hour of having my teeth cleaned.
(Are there really people who don't have to think through whole processes like this? Because this is my normal.)
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome can contribute to tooth abnormalities that are more likely to result in decay. It can also make anesthesia less effective than for a typical patient. (Apparently redheads need more anesthesia than patients of other hair colors. Just a fun fact there. I wonder what it's like to be a redhead with EDS in terms of anesthesia, then. Yikes.)
I made the comment to my hygienist that it should bring heat packs to my appointments to help my jaw muscles not seize up so much (good in theory at least). I also put on majoram essential oil before I go for its antispasmodic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Then I spend the rest of the day eating soft foods and trying to keep myself from singing while I wait for the spasms in my jaw muscles to subside.
The graffiti in the elevator was kinda cute, though:
I'm SO GLAD I outgrew that phase. Ugh. The idea is so not appealing to me now.
But that's where I spent my morning - getting my teeth cleaned. Fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos mean that getting my teeth cleaned has an extra layer of complication.
As important as I know flossing is, it's hard to be motivated to floss when I know my jaw is likely to slip out of alignment and spend time popping every time I try to open my mouth because of TMJ disorder. It's way worse during a cleaning with all the time my mouth has to be open and that can mean a day or two of it being misaligned with the muscles all inflamed. In fact, I took a full dose of anti-inflammatories with breakfast prior to going to the dentist.
Fibromyalgia makes me more sensitive to chemicals and tastes, especially when I'm in the middle of a fibro flare. When I'm flaring, foods that are moderately spicy feel like they are burning my mouth and the same is true for toothpaste and mouthwash, even alcohol free.
Chronic pain makes it hard to sit in one position for the whole half hour of having my teeth cleaned.
(Are there really people who don't have to think through whole processes like this? Because this is my normal.)
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome can contribute to tooth abnormalities that are more likely to result in decay. It can also make anesthesia less effective than for a typical patient. (Apparently redheads need more anesthesia than patients of other hair colors. Just a fun fact there. I wonder what it's like to be a redhead with EDS in terms of anesthesia, then. Yikes.)
I made the comment to my hygienist that it should bring heat packs to my appointments to help my jaw muscles not seize up so much (good in theory at least). I also put on majoram essential oil before I go for its antispasmodic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Then I spend the rest of the day eating soft foods and trying to keep myself from singing while I wait for the spasms in my jaw muscles to subside.
The graffiti in the elevator was kinda cute, though:
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