I’m very angry with myself for letting things go for so long but in reality, I’m very, very, very lucky.

All of my teeth are in really good shape.

The only problem I have at this point is that after the cleaning on the bottom teeth, there are some very sharp edges along the bottom on two of the teeth at the gumline. It’s constantly cutting my tongue and I need to see if they can smooth them out. I’m actually sorta desperate St this point because the tip of my tongue is all sliced up.

My hygienist said that the lower teeth weren’t really bad at all but they would probably take some getting used to because they’re going to feel a little different. While that’s true, I don’t think she realized how sharp they are and I didn’t realize until later in the day.

I have to wait until Monday to talk to them about this.

I go back next week to get the 2 tiny cavities fixed and I’m hoping they can just soerts round the edges a bit. After that, all I need to do is visit the oral surgeon.

I’m not excited about getting my wisdom teeth removed but they’ll knock me out for that. I have a consult with the oral surgeon on Gavin’s birthday next month. It’ll probably be a little wait after that but the procedure itself won’t take long and after that, I’m good to go.

I feel a tremendous sense of relief for having faced and conquered my lifelong fear.

I think once I get used to the way things feel now, I’ll be fine. It’s so much worse in my head than what it actually is.

Something I need to deal with is learning to move forward. I’ve been worrying about this for so long now that it’s going to take some time to let it go. I think that’s part of why I’m so stressed out about the minor issues I have with my bottom teeth. I can absolutely keep it from ever getting worse but in a weird way, there’s comfort in the panic. I’m so used to this fear that moving past it might be a bit of a process.

Regardless, I found the courage to not only make it back to the dentist but also share my experience and encourage others not to make the same mistakes I did.

Fear can be an important tool sometimes. It can help keep us safe but it can also dictate our decessions and control our lives.

Don’t let fear control your life.