Greetings! So how is everyone? It's been a while!
We are fine, but have had a busy time with travel and birthday and wedding anniversary celebrations which come around every March. So no time and energy for blogging or Youtube. And now I'm stuck in bed/ on the couch recovering from oral surgery.
I have been confined to quarters for a week, which seems excessive but apparently is to do with clotting. Must be a modern thing because my Mum went supermarket shopping after hers!
This week has been confronting me with some of my prejudices and thought processes. Being told to stay put when you would rather do, is not easy. I know this about myself. But I am dutiful and being good. Asking for help and getting people to carry stuff or bring things to me, or not being able to do housework that you see needs doing has been harder than I thought.
But the main testing has been in the acceptance of the gap in my mouth. I have lost the first molar on one side. It feels weird, and although not super obvious it is still visible when I smile because I have a wide smile...something I've always been told is one of my nice qualities. Now it is tempting not to smile so wide. Hmmm.
Am I that vain?
I am constantly having conversations with myself in this healing time about being grateful it wasn't a finger, or being grateful I don't need further debilitating treatment like radiation.
I realise there is a lot of shame behind my thoughts. Shame about how I feel it is my fault I lost a tooth. "You didn't look after your teeth properly, and so see what happens?!" When I deconstruct my life to pinpoint the blame, I realise it is noone's fault.
It's not my fault I had a genetic undiagnosed autism spectrum condition that made it hard for me to know how to look after myself.
It's not my fault that I was raised in a third world country that barely had any dental care available.
It's not my fault that my genes have made my teeth grow the way they have with deep gum pockets, poor enamel and propensity to decay.
It's not my fault my teeth may have reacted to my pregnancy at the time requiring a root canal treatment.
The surgeon actually said I'd done "all the right things", and the endodontist explained my roots are so fine and angled he couldn't do a proper root canal. He was actually amazed it had lasted 16 years.
And yet I still blame myself! This is my attempt at trying to whack the message into my stubborn old
brain.
I see other people having teeth removed for crowding problems, but somehow that doesn't carry this burden.
Because that is just how their teeth are! Fancy being able to let go the blaming and say that to myself.
I do have the option to buy a tooth to replace it, to have an implant. Of course it is horrifically expensive, thousands and thousands of dollars and not something I would easily do. I think if it was cheaper it would be easier to approach. There are messages there too around not feeling I am worth it because I let it happen in the first place. So I should be punished with a gap? And of course, maybe I can sacrifice my smile so I can spend it on something more constructive for my kids.
Please realise these musings are my own destructive thoughts, and not in any way meant to represent how I feel about others in this situation. Which is kind of ironic, and gives me an insight into how others feel about me. Of course we all know we are harder on ourselves than anyone else. And I also realise that this is really a first world problem and not something to really dwell on at all!
I wonder if I have absorbed messages about beauty that revolve around "perfect" images. Model airbrushed beauty. Complete bright white smiles. I'm obsessed with people's teeth on TV and movies now. Of course I'm comparing myself to the most beautiful people in the world. Probably not realistic!
Along these same lines I have been mulling over my dress sense. During this time of rest I have given myself "permission" to dress in my slobby clothes. The ones I love that have baggy pants and full dresses. Old shirts with sleeves rolled and saggy bottomed jeans. I am aware of an urge inside to apologise to those around me for having to see me like this. Since when has it been my duty to provide a beautiful image for their gaze?!
I think we are fed stories as girls especially, that we need to be beautiful. If we can't be beautiful, at least attractive or well put together. We need to "make the most of yourself"... Whatever that means.
I don't think men are immune from this feeling either. I do think we have deep stories in our minds that tell us how we need to present ourselves to the world and those we love. It can be very difficult to ignore them.
Whether they are from society or our parents, or even old relationships and or past comments, we need to be brave. To stand up and say, this is how I want to present myself, whether it is flattering or not, whether it is the best colours or sillhouette or not. I want to live like this for now. Please understand that and accept it. So this includes in my case having a gappy smile right now :-)
You may notice my profile picture has changed. It reflects my new reality (pre-tooth extraction). I am growing my hair and wearing contacts now! Miles recently turned 17 and Aiden turned 14. Miles has now graduated from homeschooling and has the option to take his driving test. Watch this space! Aiden has become a proud new owner of a folding ebike named "Eli". He is kindly doing regular shopping trips for me while I am laid up. And of course Cris is being his usual gorgeous cutie supportive self.
I leave you with a photo of us all from my 56th birthday in early March. Such a fun day!
Til next time, I hope you know that you are beautiful my friend...no matter what!!
Much love,
Jazzy Jack
first - big warm hug from me!!!
ReplyDeletei had to smile about the lost of FIRST ONE tooth at 56. because - its normal! our teeth are still in the stoneage when they were needed for maximum 50 years +/-..... so still having almost all of them with 56 is great!!! especially with 2 kids - we have the saying:*one child - ohne tooth*.
and you are not vain - but you live in a high commercial environment for most of your life. dental care is not for us - its for the dentists. i had to learn this the hard way with a zyst in the jaw because a poorly made post crown....when i moned at the dentist because of some pain she said i´m bad at cleaning!! but it was def. her wrong set post that caused the permanent light pain and after 1/2year a big swollen face with HEAVY pain. since then - it was the drop that caused the overflow of the barrel - i´m done with dentists. all over-prepared tooth are out now - i have HUGE gaps - and believe or not - since then i have no prblem at all!!!
thankfully in my corner of the world and in my generation ALL have "natural" teeth...colored, a bit wonky, gaps. but i think we are BEAUTIFUL - we will be even without any teeth later in life - because beauty does not need a hollywood grin ;-P
for the clothes - you could wear a potato sack - i still would think, write & say that your are beautiful!!!
oh - and the boys!! you can be very proud!
sorry that this is lenghtish....
get well soon! xxxxx
Ooo... oral surgery. Sorry! I had some last month and know the pain. As you note, there are options for tooth-replacement. As time goes by, you'll decide how important this is to you. Some things like this we tolerate and don't spend money on, some are high priority and we do. You'll figure out what's right for you. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteYou are SO right - we say things to ourselves that we would never, ever say to another person . . . we have to change that perspective so that we are kind to ourselves as well.
ReplyDeleteThere are options other than implants; has your dentist told you about them? (for example a bridge, removable or permanent) Sometimes a gap needs something in it to keep the rest of the teeth from moving out of place, and then it's a matter of protecting your health as your bite can be affected and make it hard to chew properly. My mom has had one of those for many years and has no problems with it at all.
Your boys are growing up! That is a wonderful picture of all of you.
You have a great gift to express what you are processing and many people will identify with you. Those false messages that cycle about about beauty, teeth, clothes, hair and all that stuff stops people knowing how precious they are no matter how they look. My Dad told me when I was worried about what people thought..."They are too busy worrying about what you think of them !!!" I know you are your greatest critic...and that is tough to deal with. In our eyes you are a wonderful, beautiful gift to us, your wonderful 3 men, and the world just being you. Our love and hugs D&M xxxx
ReplyDeleteI think you still have a Great Smile and I will Hope that you will Smile widely and often regardless of the annoying gap! Dental is so expensive that I totally know how you feel about not pouring a ton of money into restoration... with having Diabetes now I had to go to the Dentist way more often than before and I always avoided it before *winks*... now I can't and I'm paying a huge sum every month to pay off the last visit which required replacement of a Crown that was Older than the Dentist and her Staff *seriously, it was!*... and a Deep Cleaning, which was a ridiculous price but I guess I needed it??? So I have sympathies for your plight and the neg thoughts going around in your head are something I've often experienced when I've wondered if what has happened has in part been due to something I failed to do or neglected too long? Self-Care can be something you put on the back burner when raising a Family or Caring for others and giving them the priority levels of Care. Big Hugs my Friend.
ReplyDeleteYou have a beautiful smile (as do the rest of your lovely family).
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had to endure dental surgery. I'm amazed that you got to 56 without needing any but there again I'm a Brit!
That sense of self-loathing and distress at your body's apparent failure is, I think, common post-surgery. I was terrible following my hip replacement.
Hope you're all healed now! xxx
You are beautiful! I LOVE that picture of you with all the family! A folding E-BIKE!?!? Sounds exciting!
ReplyDeleteA lot of tooth issues ARE genetic and there isn't much one can do about it! My recurring nightmare is actually losing my teeth- My two big molars have reallllly receeded gums and I am quite concerned about them- I just scrub too hard on them but they don't feel clean if i don't! I hope you manage to make peace with the tooth sitution whichever way you decide to proceed!x
This was so timely! I wandered onto your blog from Sue Elvis's blog and wow I needed to read this! I have been having so many teeth problems recently and I am attributing it to my 4 pregnancies because Ive taken care of my teeth! But you're so right that there is such shame that we feel and put on ourselves. Its just nice seeing you go through the same feelings! It helps me to get out of my own head and just accept myself and accept these problems as being out of my control. THank you!!
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