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How To Enjoy A Trip To The Dentist

Let's face it.  Everybody hates going to the Dentist.  There is always a fear of cavities, or that the teeth cleaning may hurt your sensitive teeth.  Or that the Dentist will lecture you on lack of flossing and read you the riot act on your mouth care-even if you think you are the mouth health care superstar.

But most of the time our fear gets in the way and it makes everything hurt so much more.  Have you ever noticed that?

I'll start out by saying I have lovely teeth.  And I really take care of my mouth, but I can't tell you how nervous I get when I have to go to the Dentist.  I already know when I wake up that morning that it's going to hurt.  That I will most likely have cavities because that would happen to me.  I psych myself up to think that the experience is going to be horrific.  I usually convince myself of this.  And my fears usually get the best of me.  

I cringe when I think of those sharp instruments scraping my teeth.  -insert thought of nails on a chalk board.  eek.

So…

Naturally, I procrastinate making the call.  I procrastinate making the appointment despite the few postcards I get in the mail, saying that it's "my time".  Yikes.

I of course don't want cavities.  I of course want my gums to be healthy.  I of course want healthy mouth health.  Of course.

But I don't want to go to the dentist.

You see what I just did?  I created horror in my mind with my very creative imagination.  I created fear that doesn't really belong there.  And then I let it stay there.  My fears usually stress me out, and my whole day starts off the wrong way.  And it's not the Dentist's fault.  It's mine.  Because I brought in negativity and fear.  And I let them both hang out in my house for a really long time before kicking them out.

It's just a dentist appointment.

Do any of you feel that way with an appointment that you have?

A few months ago I had my appointment.  I go every six months (I will NEVER skip a Dentist appointment).  But I was really dragging the 6 month marker.  Now I will admit, as most of you know I have been having this weird allergy issue where half my face and throat goes numb, so me pushing back the dentist was mainly because of that reason alone, but had I not had this numbing issue, I still would have procrastinated the F out of making this appointment.  The numbing gave me the perfect excuse to hold back.

Me:  "I can't go to the Dentist, my face is still numb", "What if something bad happens?".

So I pushed through my fear of the Dentist and made the appointment anyways.  I made the appointment knowing that I would not be able to have him use that topical numbing stuff that makes the Dentist pain free because of the current numbing problem I was experiencing.  I made the appointment even though I couldn't use my usual dose of Advil prevention that helps make the Dentist pain free, because Advil is a leading cause of Leaky Gut.

I had to face the Dentist alone, in my present, drug free.  

Crap.

But guess what I learned after 1 year of practicing YOGA?

That the Dentist chair is totally AWESOME!  It seriously feels like a Yoga pose I do in yoga for just a longer and more awesome period of time.  

Imagine me whispering this in a soft voice to you:
"Lean back, let your body relax, take a few deep breaths and let your body fall into form.  Continue your deep breathing, concentrate on where your breath is going deep inhale from your lungs into your stomach, into your core.  Listen to your breath and forget what is around you.  Continue with your deep breathing and let your anxieties and fears exit your body.  You are safe.  Drop your shoulders.  Unclench your fists".

I took my tools that I learned in yoga and practiced those at the dentist.  I was calm as a cucumber.  It was ethereal.

Yoga Tools that work at the Dentist's Office:

1.  Deep breathing
2.  Meditation

And what is so great-is that you are in that chair leaned back for a full hour! Which means your body, if you let it will totally relax itself.  And if you allow your body to relax, and trust the Dentist, and trust yourself that it's not going to hurt, and if it does it will only hurt for a second, and if it hurts longer than that small second you will raise your left arm like they tell you to do, and the Dentist will stop.

When you allow Trust to be in your hood, you-your brain and your body can let Trust take care of everything so that YOU can relax and enjoy the lovely laid back chair and let your body feel mellow.

Whether this appointment is before work or during, this is your chance for a little relaxation.  A massage if you will.  A place where you can forget about all your troubles and just zone out.  

It's so rare in our busy lives to allow ourselves to just zone out.  

Especially in NYC.  We have to be in "The Zone" at all times.  Be on guard, wide awake, on more caffeine then life itself to stay on top, or stay sharp or stay in competition with everyone else around us.  

The Dentist's chair is the perfect place to unwind.  We don't get opportunities like this,  so let's take advantage of the peace that is offered to us and remember that our time is precious.  

I don't think in my wildest dreams I ever thought for a second that I would write an article about enjoying the Dentist.  No way, not me.  But here I am, writing this post telling you it's an enjoyable experience if you let fear take a back seat.  

Scouts honor!  Pinky Swear!  Cross my heart.

And guess what again?  It didn't even hurt!  No Advil.  No topical numbing.  Just me.  Totally relaxed.

When he pulled up the chair I actually felt like I had just completed an hour at the yoga studio.  

I have never felt so relaxed.  I felt like I was walking on clouds.

And I had just left the Dentist, not the spa.

This may seem like a silly story and irrelevant to my gluten-free blog, but, having Celiac can actually affect your gum and mouth health.  Consistent cavities can be a symptom as well as poor gum health.  I was undiagnosed for so long, and cavities were something I dealt with since childhood.  Because I wasn't absorbing my nutrients my teeth weren't getting the proper nutrients they needed either.  Since going gluten-free for the past almost decade, my issues at the dentist have minimized drastically, but all those years of cavity fillings and dental work scared the crap out of me, and left me with a fear of the past that I had been holding on to for far too long.   Besides personal growth and development on my end that I felt through this experience…I have to say I believe you can apply this to your daily lives too.

I spent 37 years fearing the dentist like the plague, and all that wasted energy on fear of dental cleaning was wasting my positive goodness and creating unwanted stress which leads to inflammation.  And if you have Celiac Disease like me or any other Auto-Immune Disease, you certainly do not need more inflammation.  Am I right? Or am I right?

So, if you are feeling this way about an appointment, an interview, a meeting with whomever at whenever time, I urge you to try and trust the process. The Universe has your back.  So try and relax.  Shake it out.  Deep breathe it out.  Because once you do, your body will thank you for it.  And if not-If my advice got your nowhere, at least you tried something new.  At least you went on an adventure!

Life is full of little adventures.

High five!

xx Julie

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