A Dental Hygiene Story from a Midlifer

After two months in Belgium, Mark, Maya, and I passed through Massachusetts (USA) for another week. To deal with dog Maya’s export paperwork, to visit family and friends, to pick up heaps of gear and parts, and to spend two days at the dentist for me. Something that wasn’t planned before we booked our flights.

Here is my dental story, which might help some people but bore others to death. You have been warned.

The past

As a child and teenager in Belgium, I was taught to brush my teeth twice a day. After breakfast and before bedtime. My parents were adamant about that schedule and took us to the dentist as needed. 

As an adult, I stuck to the twice-a-day brushing and added flossing to my evening routine. In the US, I discovered tongue scrapers, more a breath improvement than a dental one. I learned about teeth cleaning, too. In Belgium, my dentist always remarked how well I brushed my teeth and no plaque was found to remove. When I became a US resident, I attended yearly cleanings.

My MassHealth insurance plan covers dentist visits, but doesn’t offer the greatest selection of dental clinics, so I’ve enrolled and “derolled” as a patient three times in the last decade. Since I didn’t return to the US in 2023, I skipped my annual teeth cleaning, so went without help for two years. Not a good idea! 

The present

Mark and I found a new dentist this past summer and he appeared to be a caring, meticulous, and professional one. Mark had his cleaning done – in and out within an hour – and my appointment took place the week before Independence Day. What was supposed to be a routine check-up and cleaning turned out quite differently. Plus, I was leaving to Belgium ten days later.

Like any new patient, I had scans taken and slides for X-rays jammed between my sensitive gums. At least twenty of them. Gag reflex, anyone?

A quick exam followed, with an in-depth discussion. There was no more time for the cleaning. But what I learned was horrifying: I had severe bone loss and extensive gum disease. I was at risk of losing nine teeth. And, I had seven cavities, four of which needed to get fixed with crowns. To say I was stunned is an understatement. 

The following day, the dental practice fit me in throughout the morning. I received a deep and painful cleaning, more chats with the dentist, and three fillings. Still four crowns to go, ideally soon, and – hopefully – root scaling to improve the deep pockets in my gums, once I returned from Belgium. 

The dentist committed to taking care of me on the eve of the Fourth of July long weekend and one of his assistants agreed to work overtime as well. The pair handled my mouth for three hours straight, to fix five cavities and to shave off, clean, and prepare five – not four – teeth for crowns. Without numbing. To say it was a painful evening is an understatement. It was on par with my migraines.

Yet, they managed to make imprints for the five crowns to send to the lab and they provided me with temporary crowns and antibiotics by 8pm.

The next issue? Temporary crowns are supposed to last for two weeks, until the permanent ones show up. I’d be out of the country for nine weeks! 

By then, the dentist and hygienist had also convinced me to change my dental routine: to use an electric brush instead of a manual one (check), to invest in a water flosser (check), to brush after every meal (check). He also recommended I’d still use the string floss and alternate with a manual brush once in a while. 

After the last procedure (the placement of the temporary crowns), I was in pain. First, my tongue was sore because of the rough edges of the crowns and my gums were super sensitive. Eating hurt but after a week, this got a bit better. I favored my left side to bite; the side with “only” two temporary crowns. 

In Belgium, once the antibiotics regiment was done, the gum pain continued when eating and brushing and I experienced infection after infection. I still favored the left side of my mouth to chew until one of the temporary crowns cracked. Time to shift sides! 

Eventually, I went to a dentist in Belgium to have antibiotics prescribed again. I kept up my new dental hygiene – three times brushing with an electric brush (carrying my manual one for days we were on the go), three times flossing with the water flosser, three times flossing with string, and using a dental pick for bigger gaps between my teeth and the tongue scraper out of habit. I took the advice of a friend and changed to Parodontax toothpaste as well. Once a day, I added mouth wash or a medicinal rinse for good measure. 

While enjoying my time in Belgium, I was – in a way – counting the days until the installation of my new crowns. This also meant going through root scaling of my entire mouth (four quadrants), of which I’d heard horror stories. My insurance had approved this procedure and due to a schedule change in our flight back to Argentina, we had managed to push our departure date from Boston out with one day. Thankfully. Timing would not have allowed the procedures otherwise. 

So, back in Massachusetts, USA, I spent another two days at the dentist. I brought Belgian chocolates for the accommodating and helpful crew; they almost felt like family by then. 

My new crowns were inserted (without sedation; another painful affair) and the left side of my mouth underwent part one of the root scaling procedure. For this, the dentist used local numbing and anesthesia. And he administered more antibiotics. I didn’t feel a thing! Not even after the numbness wore off. What about all those fearful, painful stories I’d heard?

The following day, the hygienist performed the root scaling on the other side of my mouth. Since I was doing okay with some local numbing, I never received Novocaine. Again, I was never in pain during or after this “scary” procedure. The dentist prescribed special toothpaste with extra Fluoride for my sensitive gums.

But here is why I’m writing this blog: After my return from Belgium, following my new dental routine for two months, both the dentist and the hygienist were in awe. Based on my history and X-rays, they had expected some of my teeth to be loose or ready to fall out. That didn’t happen. Plus, they both commented on how the state of my gums had improved by leaps and bounds. They were firmer and some of the deep pockets had decreased a bit already. The miracle tool: a water flosser! And, possibly, the Parodontax toothpaste.

The future

The recommendation from my dental team: “Keep doing what you’re doing! It is helping.” And they want me to get quarterly cleanings. Finding local, professional, and qualified dental practices every three months might not be easy in South America, but I do plan to search for one twice a year.

I know dental care results, actions, and preferences are different for everyone, but I am very happy and impressed, hearing their diagnosis and prognosis for my teeth and gums! 

While often inconvenient and always time consuming (three times a day for ten minutes), I do feel that my dental hygiene procedures help. So, I will try my best to keep them up. But continuing this routine is much harder in a camper with limited water, limited electricity, and a tiny bathroom sink! Especially regarding the water flosser. Because my gums are so sensitive – and they always will be, because bone loss is irreparable – I have to warm up water on the stove to fill the reservoir of the flosser, before using it. I miss my Belgian microwave!

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Next up: Our expense report for September 2024.

Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs, check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir: