Ugh, dentist. Ugh. I mean, this newsletter is reality reflection and dentistry is in my reality unfortunately front and center right now. Sidenote, if you are having children and no one tells you that pregnancy wrecks havoc on your teeth, consider yourself warned and no matter what, don’t skip your cleanings.
That said, I skipped my cleanings.
Then for my birthday I bit into a cupcake and got a toothache as my birthday surprise. I made an appointment: infected wisdom tooth. I know, the woman who preaches health and wisdom with an infected wisdom tooth —but we are who we are, and we are all working on something. I’d say for me it is rooting (pun intended) into self-care above all, in ways that are not instagrammable, like teeth-cleaning and personal boundaries.
I had a weird thing going on with my ear and I couldn’t quite place it. That’s the full backstory there because that’s not why wer’re here.
When I went to the dentist before she diagnosed the tooth I mentioned the ear, with a nice volley of, “I know this might sound crazy but it could be related, even if we look at proximity…”
“It’s not related,” she dismisses me.
I subconsciously knew then I could not open up to her. It took a few more minutes, x-rays and further discussion, where I was sitting in the dental conference room and I was going through their paperwork and nothing seemed easy.
“Can I fill this out and come home?” I ask the assistant.
Who looks at me curiously and understandably so.
I register myself and realize, I want out. My body wants out of here.
I leave.
I get in my car and hear: Penicillin.
I remember the dentist mentioning, “I mean, yeah, if you want to wait the only thing I would say is that penicillin could help in the …”
I walk back to the assistant I had the awkward moment with and ask for the prescription.
She is very kind, and friendly. She’s had a moment to rebound and we all walk out with cordial goodbyes.
Additional sidenote, I have the most lovely woman, Sharon, tending to me at Walgreens so I feel like the moment is on the up and up.
I take the penicillin. Within 36 hours the ear pain is gone and although I still have a road with said tooth, I am much better. I hop on the google and find out that ears and eyes can be effect by tooth infections. And it is connected.
It’s connected.
The dentist wasn’t wrong, but she wasn’t right either. I feel this moment bubbling inside about really advocating for yourself from a both and, meaning there is dental work ahead no matter what, but who I do it with and what intentionality is set is something I can control.
Boundaries.
I did a second intake with another dentist, I might let you know how it goes. I am hoping for the best, but you know how they say that you can’t change things you can only change your perspective? I feel like I am now going in with my body to an appointment rather than handing my body over, and I hear Dr. Bruce Lipton’s words about epigenetics and how the intentionality of the observer, which is also the doctor and the dentist, effects outcome.
We are intelligent enough to be an integral part of our health even when we have skipped our cleanings, made a mistake, or hid in fear. We can change our intention which will shift our perspective.
Incidentally, I called the first dentist to let her know how much the penicillin helped and maybe it would help another person like me. Maybe she’ll say nothing, but it felt good nevertheless.
Boundaries and intentions lead to growth. It’s a pretty good formula. Although this might seem like an elevator pitch (or is that my hang up?) we are were already set to discuss boundaries and growth on our next Sit & Write — so that’s how things go when you know there are no such things as coincidences.
Sign up here for August 3rd (it’s donation-based).
Pre-order the Rebirth e-book here & you have a beauty-filled, boundaries day my dear.
See you next week,
Kate
A follow-up to this story can be heard here: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/413242/private/842ba488-4f3d-4486-87f3-9901556cf88a.rss