This was originally posted to my blog, Diabetes Odyssey.
My entire life I’ve been warned about high blood sugar and tooth decay. “Control your blood sugar or you’ll lose all your teeth before you’re forty”. I must say that although I now suffer a butt-ton of complications of diabetes, I still have very healthy teeth, and I still have all of them (save one wisdom tooth).
On top of a lifetime of uncontrolled diabetes, an out of control sweet tooth, rarely ever flossing (it’s just a habit I could never establish), at least two years of heavy hookah smoking, tea and diet soda drinking, I also have rarely ever gone to the dentist.
How the heck did I end up with such healthy teeth?
Genetics and good luck is all I can come up with.
I was one of those lucky kids who’s permanent teeth came in perfectly straight, no work ever needed on these perfect pearly whites.
In my teens I had a couple cavities that got filled. When I was in my early thirties I had to have a wisdom tooth extracted because it cracked and exposed a nerve (ouch). Other than that I’ve never had trouble with my teeth.
OK, I’m fibbing just a bit. Now that I am in my late thirties and had spent so many years with no dental insurance (that tooth extraction cost me nearly 2 thousand dollars) I have found that in recent years my teeth seem to be more and more sensitive to cold. I’ve also noticed that my years of smoking (I quit three years ago) and drinking tea and diet soda have discolored my teeth quite a bit. And I’m noticing that my gums have started to recede.
Is my luck running out? I guess now that I have great dental insurance I really need to get a check-up and cleaning.
