Tuesday, March 31, 2015

The More You Know You Don't Know Much, the More You Can Learn


Do you floss your teeth? If not, do you feel guilty for not doing it? Hold that thought.

Hoofed it down the road this morning to my teeth cleaning appointment, knowing that I hadn't flossed much lately more than a couple times since my last cleaning. My excuse is my lingual bar retainer. That sounds important and official, eh? It just means that I have a permanent retainer on the inside of my front lower teeth. Makes it hella fun to floss.

"Ana" (soft, short o sound) was my hygienist this morning. We've never talked beyond pleasantries. But seeing as how I have become much more aware of being intentional since my last appointment (May 2014), I started asking some questions today.

When I am distracted, I don't always ask questions at the doctor or dentist, or apparently even listen. Later, I think "What the heck did he/she say about this?" Honestly, I believe walking there this morning put me into a more mindful place. I hadn't waited until the last second, jumped in my car and raced the .7 miles to the office just in time.

It still surprises me that I can learn something so basic about the simple process of flossing. I guess the difference came in listening to that little voice inside (I did it! Yay me!) suggesting I ask some questions.

Not only did I learn something interesting about flossing, I also learned about Ana, who is from Macedonia, and was extremely interested in my attempts to make healthy choices for myself and my family. We had an actual, honest, genuine conversation, not just a superficial exchange. I mean, we didn't cry on each other's bosoms or anything, but I felt like I really connected with the person, Ana.

Now, if you feel guilty when you don't floss, do something about it. Find a way to make it a habit. Figure out your why for doing it. Look at the things that are getting in the way, and address them.

Or ... maybe I'm the only one who doesn't floss regularly? In that case, in the words of the immortal Emily Litella . . .






2 comments:

John Holton said...

I got a laugh out of the picture, because I was at the dentist yesterday, being chewed out for not flossing well enough. I have problems handling standard dental floss because my right hand is somewhat out of commission. I use a Water Pik to do the flossing, and also use Stim-U-Dent sticks to clean the plaque and tartar away. You might try that. GUM also has these little brushes that look like toothpicks that you can push between the teeth. Those are good, too.

John Holton
Blogging from A to Z 2015 Cohost
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Unknown said...

You have just reminded me that I need to make a dentist appointment. It is not something I like going to, I avoid them like the plague. lol.

Saying hi from the A-Z team.