Last week-end, my mouth was screaming "ouch" from every corner it seemed. Another week-end has passed and the pain has subsided immensely. However, at the base of one of my teeth, along the gum line, is a nasty looking something or other. My Mom’s guess is, it’s a cavity really low on the tooth… Gee, that brings my tally up to about ten. I don’t know if it is really that much, but honestly I would not be too surprised if it were in the ballpark. That particular tooth is aching at present…
So, what is one to do about it? We are in a state where we must almost choose whether to keep a roof over our heads or food in our pantry. God always provides for our basic needs…but does dental care fall under that umbrella? I am a housewife…I tend to many of the things that keep the house running and make my husband’s life easier when he gets home from a long day of work but is that enough right now? Should I really be out there earning money as well? I don’t know. There is an awful lot of pressure to. There has been from the start. I think we would still be just paying the bills if I had a job outside the home. I am not educated beyond a semester of college, so there is little I am qualified for. Between the job market the way it is and the fact I still do not have a driver’s license, there is little available to me.
Anyway, I could play the blame game. It is my husband’s boss’ fault my teeth are in such a state of disrepair because he does not offer his employees a dental plan… but a lot of it depends on me. I do not brush well, I do not floss… I do not think I took care of my poor teeth the way I should have. I have realized too late that you only get one set. My teeth have always been taken care of, though. I have only had a handful of cavities in my life because I regularily went for cleanings and check-ups.
I have a cavity between my two front teeth that has elicited "You’ve got something in your teeth". That’s embarrassing enough but then to realize they are referring to a cavity and then having to tell them that… Then there’s chatting via web cam with my mother yesterday, and having her all dismayed at how my teeth are crooked despite my parents’ shelling out a lot of money on braces. (The retainer I was supposed to wear ’til eighteen broke when I was fourteen!)
There really isn’t much of a point to this entry. I am just sitting here, mulling over the millionth time someone has concluded "You need to get a job!" I do not blame them for coming to that conclusion, but still, I think there is another way. Maybe I am fooling myself. I just want to go to the dentist and get my teeth taken care of…so that I can smile with confidence.
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