Did you floss today?

There is no one who can make me feel guiltier than a dentist. I really don’t know how they are able to do it, but it happens every time. Luckily I’m not paying the dentist a visit too often.

This week it was once again time for nursing my teeth. After having consumed a large amount of extremely sweet tea over the last 14 months, I have to admit I was quite worried before meeting the dentist face to face.

I could vaguely remember the last words from the dentist 2 years ago. “So then you are promising me to floss your teeth? And me, smiling, nodding and walking straight to the shop to buy dental floss. But as usual, after reliable flossing the first days, it was soon forgotten.

On my way to the dentist I still had one hope; my old dentist had quit, maybe the new one wouldn’t notice that I hadn’t flossed?

The hope faded quickly as I arrived and the following dialogue took place:

D: “Are you flossing your teeth?”
M: “Ehm..”
D: “It says here that you need to floss your teeth to avoid further damage. Have you been flossing?”
M: “Ehm, hehe.. From time to time, but you know it is so easy to forget.”

The dentist, obviously used to talking with school kids, then started to give me a detailed story about the teeth and why they needed to be flossed.

D: (showing me a picture of a hand with two dirty fingers)
“……and you know your teeth have more than three surfaces, if you are only brushing them it is like washing three fingers instead of five. That you don’t want, do you?”

And it went on and on, until I felt like an eight year old, having done something really bad.
I blame this strong feeling of guilt and the thought of having disappointed my dentist, for the things that happened next.

D: “How about mouthwash? Are you using that?”
M: “Yes, of course I’m using mouthwash!”

I am NOT using mouthwash.. So why did I lie to my dentist? A person I had never seen before, and probably wouldn’t see again.. The power of a dentist.. still as scary as in first grade..