Releasing Souls from Purgatory Through Poor Dental Hygene

I have never liked to floss. I hate it. My teeth are jammed together in my mouth which makes it hard to get the floss in between, and because I don't like to floss, my gums suffer from it and it hurts when I do floss. So I kind of skip it. A lot. Okay, most of the time. (Once, on a dentist's form, they asked, "How often do you floss?" and I wrote, "Sporadically.")

Well, I had a whopper of a toothache - actually a gum-ache - last month, which prompted me to work through my recently-developed fear of the dentist and get myself to one. I have about three years' worth of tarter built up. Well, I did until today.

Today, I brought the girls to the dentist, and the good doctor worked me in immediately after them. And he got most of the nasty gunk off my teeth.

It hurt. A lot. And I never prepped myself for it, either, since I hadn't planned on going to the dentist today.

I liken it to having a Band Aid on that is hanging off a little bit, and then your Mommy comes up and yanks it off without you expecting it. I mean, you knew she would, just not right THEN.

Yeah. That's it.

So my mouth feels weird now, but I think it's going to be okay. And I have two cavaties (my third and fourth ever) which will be filled next Thursday. Oh, and orders to get myself to the periodontist. Yeah, gums are in bad shape.

But I decided to ask for my pain to be joined with Christ's suffering on the cross, and maybe the fear I had, as well, so that maybe some souls might get to leave Purgatory.

Golly, I hope I helped someone. Cuz I really thought I was going to come out of the chair a couple of times. Shoot right off the top and out into the hallway behind me. (And because the girls were in the waiting room and could have heard, I was VERY careful not to get noisy or cry. And that took effort, I tell you.) From now on, I'm also going to offer up my flossing. "Floss 'em now, or soak 'em later," said the nice dentist. Seriously, he is very nice, and the pain and suffering is all my own fault.

So imagine my surprise when I read this post at Catholic Matriarch in my Domestic Church! I guess 'tis the season for getting your teeth looked at.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I already have my next cleaning set up for July 3. And I promise to floss. Really. Gonna buy some of that nice stuff the gal at the dental office used today.