The last time I went to the dentist was some time before the pandemic, which evidently started in 2020 (I think someone told me that). I had been religiously gone 2x a year to get my teeth cleaned and an occasional filling done.
During the beginning of the pandemic, my dentist decided to stop practicing. She sold her practice to another dentist and quit. I didn’t know anything about that particular dentist, except it was further away than mine already was. And I wasn’t interested in doing that. I have issues with that after all.
Since my teeth were in pretty good shape, I figured I had time to find another one. Someone who could work with me and my teeth. Some time turned into 6 years.
It wasn’t until a couple of months ago that I found myself really needing a dentist because one of my teeth was bothering me. I looked for one on a local website, and while I couldn’t see a dentist right away, they could hook me up with a dental hygienist to clean my teeth and at least start the process.
I made the appointment to see the hygienist. I was going into this place “blind” so to speak. I knew nothing about them, other than it had a reputation for being a good place. But perhaps more importantly, they knew nothing about me either- nothing about being a survivor or any of that. But I also don’t go around telling any of my health care professionals that I’m a multiple. Not even my physician knows and I’ve been with her for 20+ years now. She knows I went through some bad stuff, but that’s it.
Anyway, back to the Hygienist. It was rather interesting in lots of ways. More on that next time.