Baby steps. . . .

I faced one of my problems today.

My teeth. Between my husband and a good friend, I have heard a lot of dental problems lately.

The last time I went to the dentist, I was not yet married.

I've been married for 6 years.

So I went to Dr. White.

That is her real name.

She was the nicest dentist I've ever met. We actually sat down, in a cozy little consultation room, and talked about my teeth. She asked me what I wanted and what I was afraid of, and how my life is.

I told her about my miscarriages and Brody and his surgeries and how I've been ignoring and/or avoiding myself and my own issues, and I said "Now I want to concentrate on myself, take care of myself."

She loved that.

Took x-rays and did a tooth by tooth gum analysis. The staff, and the dentist, were amazed at how healthy my gums were in light of my absence in the dentist's chair for so long. I need a couple of fillings replaced - and they will be WHITE. The last time I was at the dentist, white fillings were a new-fangled technology. Now they are de rigeur.

I'm having a cleaning done this afternoon. I get my [free] teeth bleaching trays on Friday. My teeth are not rotting out of my head, I will not need dentures, and they can be saved.

I've been dreading the dentist for over a year, since a few months after Brody was born. Every day I would think about my teeth and how ugly they are. Every day. I'm to the point of adjusting my smile.

I cannot tell you free and happy I feel.