Cigars and dental hygiene
raisindot
Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 936
Okay, so I tried out a new dentist today (old one's failing eyesight shaky hands were beginning to worry me). Now, I'm very meticulous about dental care--brushing, rinsing, flossing, gum massaging--and other than the occasional cavity have never had a problem.
I'm also not a big-time cigar smoker. At most I do 1-2 cigars per week. An I hadn't lit up a stogie in nearly a week before my appointment..
So, the new dentist guy is doing his examination thing, and at one point he asks me, totally out of the blue, "Do you smoke?" I kind of looked at him warily and said, "Ummmmm, why?"
He said that my gums were showing early signs of periodontal disease. Since there was no real plaque or other food stuff there to cause it, he said that smoking of any kind can cause it. I fessed up my cigar smoking, but said, "Doc, I only do one or two a week, I only smoke premium brands, not Swisher Sweets." He shrugged and said that all that nicotine and smoke swirling around your mouth can accelerate gum disease.
The fact that he was able to make the connection after never having seen me really spooked me. So much so that afterward I had to take a walk and light up a Hemingway.
I'm also not a big-time cigar smoker. At most I do 1-2 cigars per week. An I hadn't lit up a stogie in nearly a week before my appointment..
So, the new dentist guy is doing his examination thing, and at one point he asks me, totally out of the blue, "Do you smoke?" I kind of looked at him warily and said, "Ummmmm, why?"
He said that my gums were showing early signs of periodontal disease. Since there was no real plaque or other food stuff there to cause it, he said that smoking of any kind can cause it. I fessed up my cigar smoking, but said, "Doc, I only do one or two a week, I only smoke premium brands, not Swisher Sweets." He shrugged and said that all that nicotine and smoke swirling around your mouth can accelerate gum disease.
The fact that he was able to make the connection after never having seen me really spooked me. So much so that afterward I had to take a walk and light up a Hemingway.
Comments
I wanted to say that.
I kind of mentioned that to him after he asked...kind of like the old "You must say that to all the girls" line. But he didn't ask me any questions about my health or dental habits before he started poking around in there, and he said the main reason he asked was because the lack of plaque and other nasty stuff made him think something other than the usual dental crud might be causing it.
But you're right...might have been the first in a series of "directive questions" he would've tossed out there trying to hit gold, like the way the TV psychics hit their marks.