It's late and I'm tired, but I want to take a moment to talk about teeth.
Most people get our adult teeth while we're still under the care of our parents; we can brush and floss, but our access to those supplies, and to proper dental care, is limited based on what our parents can give us.
Can't afford braces? Hope you get a job with awesome dental insurance right out of high school, before you start breaking teeth from a misaligned bite. Can't afford fluoride? Enjoy cavities. Can't afford toothpaste? Well...
Things food stamps cannot be used to pay for include toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash. There were periods in my childhood where I used a second-hand toothbrush for up to six months, brushing with saltwater, because it was what we had.
Most of the damage I am dealing with now was done, or at least started, before I was sixteen years old. In addition, my lack of access to dental care as a child means I didn't get used to it; scheduling a cleaning every six months isn't automatic for me. I never formed the habit.
We judge people, socially, on the appearance of their teeth. While also treating quality dental care as something that belongs only to the rich and comfortable. If you lose visible teeth due to poor childhood dentistry, good luck ever getting a job that lets you afford implants.
And because of that judgement, there's a shame to admitting that your teeth are bad. All the excuses in the world--I was a kid, I had no control, I was afraid, I started seeing the dentist once I had insurance--won't take that shame away.
Next month, I will be having oral surgery, with a full IV anesthesia protocol. They will open my jaw and extract two teeth that were doomed before I ever reached adulthood. I need a bone graft. I might not have if I'd been able to afford dental insurance when I moved to Seattle.
After the surgical wounds have time to heal, they'll be placing two implants in my lower right jaw, so that I can go back to chewing. I will miss chewing while it's gone. I am going to be in a LOT of pain. What adventures to have!
So please, for me, if you see someone with missing or visibly damaged teeth, try not to let that be what you use to judge their worth as a person. Dental care is expensive and difficult, and yeah, "I can't afford floss" is a reality for some people.
