My Dad is the dream dental patient. He role models superb oral hygiene. I remember, as a kid, our dentist saying, “Your Dad is the best patient we’ve had. He’s a poster child, an all-star for orthodontal self-care.” Growing up, I watched him floss, brush, and then rinse his mouth with witch hazel (yes, you can do that).
That said, Dad does not boast a full set of pearly whites. He also has a gold tooth, thanks to losing a wave and then a tooth after taking a surfboard in the mouth as a teenager in California.
Oddly related if we don’t overthink it, Mom played pirate-like games with her teeth. Mom and her sister chewed Black Jack, a weird licoricey tasting gum that you can still find at places like Cracker Barrel. It was also black in color, so they would put it on their teeth to pretend that they’d had a tooth knocked out, or that they were pirates.
A few years ago, Dad confessed, “I’m a little anal about my teeth.” Currently, his daily routine includes:
- Three toothbrushes: a regular toothbrush from his dentist, a Sonicare electric brush, and a Waterpik water flosser, “which gets out all the little bits and chunks in your teeth. Shoots them right out!”
- Stim-U-Dent toothpicks in the morning and at night. “I order them online by the case,” he told me when I said that the drugstores in my town don’t carry them anymore.
- ACT mouthwash.
- Prescription fluoride toothpaste. “I only use that once per day.”
I picked up several oral hygiene habits from Dad, including an appreciation for toothpicks. I have two types of flossers in my desk and find that a business card works well in a pinch. There’s a pizza joint near my office where I occasionally grab a slice and salad for lunch. Near the door, they have toothpicks in a holder by the cashier, and I’ll grab a few each visit, using one on the way back to the office, and leaving it in the cup holder of my car to use for a few days.
“People say you should throw out toothpicks after a single use, but I’ll use the same one all week.” Me, too, Dad. Me, too.
Dad is a veteran of Vietnam, so when I meet others who served there, I listen closely to their stories. Jim, a friend and veteran who served three tours in the infantry, told me about flossing with nylon wire from hand grenades. They didn’t have enough clean water to brush their teeth. “Besides, who worried about carrying a toothbrush? We had other things on our mind,” he said. “Sarge taught us the flossing trick. Still got my teeth today thanks to him.”
In my case, I have my teeth, and many other things, thanks to my Dad.
Happy Birthday, Dad! Love, B