show me your teeth

hello hello, lovas! i seriously don't know how other bloggers post once a day (or more!). i find it difficult to post once a week, for cryin' out loud. i'm a busy gal ... and i simply don't have interesting stuff to ramble about all the time — believe it or not. to those of you who stick with me even though i post so sporadically, i salute you! (apparently i have 545 followers on google reader. whaaa? seriously?? neat :) speak up so we can be friends!)

www.nataliedee.com

so i had a dentist appt one month ago today. it was my first checkup/exam/cleaning thing in three years. yeah, i know. i don't like that i waited that long either, but i didn't have dental insurance until recently. excuses excuses.

anyway, i was worried. growing up, i had always been cavity-prone and the hygienist would always tell me about how my gums were no good. i brushed a lot, but i'd still get a cavity a year (or at least it seemed like that).

my senior year of high school was the low point. i was drinking maybe three 20-oz bottles of regular pepsi a day for about half the year. i was brushing my teeth a couple of times a day, but when dental exam time came around — seven cavities. that's what liquid satan will do to your teeth! not to mention the problems with caffeine i still have to this day and the stupid amount of empty calories i was ingesting.

i rarely drink the stuff anymore. i generally keep it to a possible mixed drink on the weekend, a special treat with lunch once or twice a month, or fountain cherry pepsi at the movies (which is also a rare occasion and fountain cherry pepsi is sooooo gooooooood). even then i opt for diet, although i know the drawbacks to fake sugar, too. long story short (too late): water is my homeboy!

but back to my most recent checkup. the dentist and hygienist could not believe i hadn't been to the dentist in three years — in a good way! my gums are fabulous. my teeth are sparkly white. i didn't have any cavities!!!! and apparently my teeth have very long roots, which the dentist and hygenist repeatedly complimented (thanks ... i grew them myself). the only probs i have are that some of my old fillings need to be repaired due to usual wear and tear and a newfound clenching problem i seem to have inherited. (thanks, mom.)

i still brush my teeth a couple of times a day. i've used a manual toothbrush all my life, but will be switching to an electric one soon. i admit that i don't floss every day, but i do it often. i only use a fluoride mouthwash when i happen to think of it (sooo it's pretty rare).

why are my teeth and gums suddenly superb??
what's changed???

my diet. that's right. my diet improved the quality of my teeth and gums.

the fact that i rarely drink sugary carbonated beverages anymore is a HUGE part of it! i've heard that your teeth are under attack for at least 30 minutes after sipping the stuff. not 30 minutes from your last sip, but from the time you begin drinking until 30 minutes after you finish the can/bottle/glass/whatever. if you like to draw out the time it takes you to drink each serving, that's a long time of tooth attack!!! moral: just don't drink the stuff, but if you choose to, get your fix and move on.

i also REALLY think that my gums improved because i eat more nutritiously now. since i decided to take control of my health 22 months ago, i eat more nutritiously and try to keep the junkier foods to a minimum. i began to focus even more on the nutritional aspects of food when i stopped eating meat 13.5 months ago. i eat so many more vegetables, fruit and whole foods now that my entire body has become more efficient and healthier — even my gums!

alright. enough about oral hygiene. just smile and share your love today, ok?!

ps did anyone notice i never used the words "pop" or "soda" until now? i personally use both words interchangeably, but i know some people (ahem, you know who you are) feel strongly about one or the other.