Well, I finally did it. I broke down and went to the dentist. I haven’t actually been to the dentist since I lived in Bloomington, which was in 1994! Can you believe it? THIRTEEN YEARS!
And after 13 years I had a bit of tartar buildup, but nothing too extreme, and, best of all, NO CAVITIES!!
That ROCKS! I got full mouth x-rays (which involved about a dozen or so different shots) and they said my teeth look “strong and healthy.” They DID recommend, of course, that I keep up a regular regimen of professional dental cleaning rather than waiting another ten years to go back. 
Oh, and part of the reason I finally went, besides having good coverage with Delta Dental, was that I had a spot by a back molar where the gums were really sore. I just started a few days ago, but was getting worse rather than better. In the process of cleaning, they found a popcorn hull that my flossing had missed. Within minutes it was already starting to feel better. Now I’ve just got the general gum soreness from getting a thorough teeth-cleaning for the first time in years.
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