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Teeth

Teeth

My entire youth I don't remember either of my parents going to a dentist, certainly not in their late forties to early fifties after they had lost the hardware store and had no money. My father perhaps went a time or two, he was decent at keeping up with oral care, but my mother never went and never brushed her teeth or used mouthwash. I don't know 100% sure why, but the smell of mint made my mother sick and with all toothpaste being mint she never brushed her teeth.

I've spoken on this before but one morning before school my mother's tooth fell out and she had to rush to super-glue it back in. Logically she had to be in extreme constant pain from not brushing and if we had money she would have needed an entire denture worth replacement. My father's method of compensated for his teeth causing him pain was to buy tubes of Orajel and use it every day and night. In 2020 I had one infected cavity that needed a root canal and even the softest foods, crushed potatoes, would be excruciating to chew so my parents had to suffer every meal. My parents just not having money endured the pain.

Although they never taught us how to brush our teeth and the importance, my mother and father did get all three of us children braces to straighten our teeth. I got mine in 6th grade and my sister before me, and my brother before her, just the age difference explains the time. When my siblings got braces they were still in or just started private school so this was when my family had money. By the time it got to my turn to get braces we were already in debt and in the process of losing the hardware store so although my mother was able to pay the several hundred per visit once a month, the final visit to which they were removed my mother wrote a hot check for, but what are they going to do? They already took them off.