Matthew Gates http://notetoservices.com 6m 1,501 #odetothedentist
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Ode To The Underrated Profession Of The Dentist
Most people would rather sit through a horror film or a three hour opera play than sit in the dentist’s chair. For some people, a trip to the dentist is a fate worse than death. According to Colgate, 9% to 15% of Americans avoid going to the dentist, though the number is likely much larger than that. The dentist is the one person no one is particularly happy to see, and for the most part, no one is forced to see. However, for those who like to make sure their hygiene is kept up and their health is in good shape, there is no doubt about the fact that you must go to the dentist. Our mouth are the entryway for everything, including the air we breathe in, to the food we eat, and the liquids we consume. It is all done by the mouth.
In our mouths, for most of us, are the tools we need in order to have a functioning and productive digestive system. These tools include the teeth, the tongue, and the saliva, all of which are used to help the sustenance of nutrition and liquids down our throats and into our stomachs. The enzymes in our saliva are meant to lubricate and help the start of breaking down the things we put into our mouths, specifically organic food items, so that by the time they reach our throats and stomachs, they will break down easily.
While in our mouths, however, the teeth bear the brunt of the work, especially if we eat things like meat and breads. The teeth are a whole different set of tools in themselves, from the choppers, to the tearers or sharp teeth, to the chompers. For the more dental terms, we’re talking about incisors, canines, premolars, and molars, all of which help to break down food and make it easy for digestion.
Since the teeth do a lot of this dirty work and are exposed directly to meat and wheat and other products, they are also the forefront of all bacteria. This bacteria not only comes from the food itself, but naturally grows in our mouths. Since our mouths contain saliva and are always salivating in some way, the are almost always moist and damp.
As any biologist, chemist, scientist, doctor, or dentist will tell you, the optimal conditions for all bacteria to grow: Florida or Louisiana. No, I’m kidding. Both places are great to visit, and for many people to live, but it is technically the ideal for a lot of bacteria to grow there too. In other words, where there is a lot of swamp, there is a lot of microbiological life. But what I’m actually talking about is the inside of our mouths. Warm. Moist. Damp. These are the best conditions for life of almost any form to grow.
This bacteria may grow around the edges of our gums and teeth, and if left untreated or uncleaned, can be a breeding ground for bacteria to continue multiplying. For most of us, we brush our teeth, floss, and use mouthwash, and pay a daily visit to the dentist every six months, where the dentist, a trained professional, who actually learned how and knows how to clean teeth, does it for us.
Unfortunately, no matter how great we clean our teeth, there will always be bacteria within. Cleaning our teeth helps keep bacteria in check, but cannot fully get rid of it all. No matter how many times you brush, floss, or rinse with mouthwash, you will have bacteria. It comes from breathing in the air from the environment, to our very own body systems, in which there are bacteria that hang out in the throat and other respiratory areas and somehow end up back in the mouth.
The dentist is one of the most underrated jobs. We often think of ourselves going to the doctor to get medicine in order to get better, but the fact is: Much of the reason why we get sick begins in our mouths, whether it be an infected gum, a tooth, or tongue. Bacteria finds its way into our system and attempts to battle it out with our immune system there. There is no way to completely prevent bacteria from getting into your mouth. It goes beyond the mouth to the foods we put into it, and even on the nutritional level, but that is for another confession. For this confession, we will stay focused on bacteria, present on all foods, that we put into our mouths.
If you are still with me, and if I have not scared you away yet, great! The dentist is not only a person of science, but a person of the arts and mathematics too. A dentist is an artist, a mathematician, a scientist, a repairman, a technician, a cleaner or janitor of the mouth, a doctor, and much more. A dentist must be able to work in reverse order, as he or she looks down, sometimes having to work completely with a small mirror. A dentist rebuilds teeth, fixes teeth, and performs oral surgeries that help save many lives.
Bacteria that enters through the mouth can be responsible for cancers and brain diseases that could potentially be fatal. For a small minority of people, and genetics and heredity may play a role, but they have no issues with keeping their teeth clean and often receive a clean bill of health by teeth from the dentist. For the great majority of us, however, we go and get a grade and feel horrible every time for our lack of care to our teeth.
For some, like me, who brush their teeth twice a day, floss at least once a day, and use mouthwash once or twice a day, we are forever told that we did not do good enough in cleaning our teeth. This is the way it is and for as long as I am alive, there is a dentist who will have a job every six months in making sure my teeth are somewhat presentable and good enough to keep me alive and comfortable for another six months.
I remember a long time ago, when I had to get my molars removed. I had waited long before even consulting a dentist, only visiting when I felt I was near death. I was literally drained and had no energy. I was getting headaches and feeling exhausted often. It turned out that my molars were cutting the sides of my mouth, helping bacteria to enter into the bloodstream, and causing me to feel ill.
Once the dentist removed those molars, it was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulder, and I was 100% times better than I had been in the months for which I endured this painful situation. I ignored it, hoping it would go away, but it was not a doctor for whom I sought help: it was the dentist.
For this reason, I spotlight the dentist for his or her hardwork in their efforts to make sure our teeth are clean so we are healthy. They have seen things I can only imagine. They have seen things in my mouth that I can only imagine. They have seen things that I could probably never imagine nor would I ever want to see. Not to mention all the things they have probably smelled, which are probably awful.
Remember: As we eat meat, there is a lot of decaying food and bacteria that dwells within our mouths, even the spots that we cannot see. While most dentists do make great money, for all the work they do, they have certainly earned whatever their paycheck provides for them. There is no doubt that if you asked any normal average person to pull a tooth, cap a crown, perform a root canal, or even just do a general teeth cleaning, not a single one of us who are not dentists would volunteer, even if paid, to perform that type of work.
As fearful as we are, as I even am, there must be some respect, admiration, and appreciation for the work of the dentist. While the doctor may claim to be the one who has extended our lives to well past our 70s, it is the dentist who actually is responsible for contributing to longevity of human life. Dentistry has a long history, dated well before the Ancient Egyptians, that has contributed to technology and the well-being of our health through our mouths. It is the dentist who is exposed to new and different bacteria all the time, but ultimately, it is the dentist who we do not realize saves our lives, because a lack of care to the teeth can lead to some of the most damaging and painful moments in our lives, especially if it has anything to do with our mouths or teeth.
Thank you to the dentist for doing what you do and keeping our mouths healthy.
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