I May Not Know How Many Kids You Have, But . . . .
I May Not Know How Many Kids You Have, But I Know What’s Swimming Around In Your Mouth
Sadly, perhaps not so sadly, this is true. I am a dental hygienist. There are different approaches to a dental hygiene visit. There is the “chat and polish” version. This chick knows all the names of your kids and your favorite series on Netflix. Then, there is the “let’s get down to business” version. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good conversation. You grew up in Venezuela and now you live in Oklahoma? How did this happen? When did you move? How do you like it? Would you ever move back? What is your favorite food from home? These are all things I would love to know, but I don’t schedule 3 hour oral wellness visits. We will get to all these answers, but it may take 2+ years. Why? Because you didn’t come to me to talk about Pabellon or Arepas. You came here for help in your journey to wellness.
That means I have to concentrate on you and your health. I have to dig into your health history. What existing conditions do you have? What meds are you taking? What health practitioners are you seeing? I need to look at your biofilm under the microscope. Actually, we will look at it together and see just what in the world is swimming around in there. If you don’t look, you don’t know. If you are a rose-colored glasses kind of person, the microscope may not be for you. We will discuss if your oral biofilm is healthy or at risk for dental and systemic disease and then if need be, how to transform it to a healthy and protective biofilm.
We will check your pH.
When is the last time you had that done?
We will talk about what it is, what it should be and how to get there. What does your diet primarily consist of? Did you know you can feed or starve whatever bacteria you want in your mouth? Did you know what you eat will affect your pH? It absolutely will. We have to talk about this in order to cultivate a healthy, protective oral microbiome. You don’t know what that is? Perhaps you have been seeing a “chat and polish”. Let me explain…see why I don’t have time to talk about your kid’s 7th grade science experiment? It’s not because I don’t care. It’s because I care more about your oral and overall wellness. After many visits we will eventually get to those awesome littles. For now, it’s all about you.