Confession

Some people have an aversion to fat, or pasty, white skin, or certain hair colors, or bad nails, or accents, or bad breath, or certain hair lengths. I have an aversion to bad teeth. I really LOVE nice, white teeth. I've had insecurity issues with my teeth ever since I broke my 2 front teeth at age 10 on a water slide. I've been to so many dentists, yet after all the work I've had on them to repair the damage (bonding, root canals, infection removal, crowns,...), my front teeth still bother me. At the gumline of my front teeth, my gums are kind of greyish instead of nice and pink (from the trauma and the methods of repair), and I can't whiten my teeth because my front crowns can't be whitened (my other teeth would be white and my front two would be darker). I could get new crowns that are whiter, but I can't justify the expense since they cost a ton and the existing ones are actually fine (for the average non-tooth-obsessed person). Until I got my crowns, my teeth REALLY bothered me. They still do, but not as bad, but because of the issues I've had with them over a lifetime, I'm self-conscious about my teeth (the front two mainly), and thus have developed a teeth-obsession.

Also...I got braces in middle school, but the orthodontist wouldn't give me a regular retainer. He gave me a thing to wear at night (like what football players or boxers put in their mouth during games), but when I lay down, I can't breathe out of my nose, so the stupid retainer thing only stayed on my top teeth (since my mouth is open all night) and my teeth are now a bit crooked again and my jaw has shifted back a little to a minor overbite again. Arrgghh! This only exacerbated my obsession.

At the risk of subjecting myself to ridicule and people thinking I'm rude, I'm going to confess my most ridiculous, petty, embarrassing pet peeve. I don't notice people's eye color. I notice their teeth (and their nose, since I don't like my bulbous nose). I have a hard time with bad teeth (discolored, broken/missing, snaggly, etc). No offense to anyone. I can't help it. It's my pet peeve. I told Hyrum that if he didn't have the nice, straight teeth he has, I would have required that he got braces before we got married. Aren't I ridiculous? I know I am. It's just that I can't help it! I couldn't have tolerated looking at him with crooked or discolored teeth everyday for the rest of forever. It would have grated on me like sandpaper until it became a matter of marital contention. I'm just being honest here! Luckily, he has good teeth. Actually, there were a couple of things about his teeth I didn't like, but they were very minor, and not near as bad as my dark gums (or the discolored bonding I had when I met him), so I got over it. I still wish he'd bleach them a little, but he hates the taste and texture of the Crest white strips, so I'm bearing with it. I know what you're thinking. I sound ridiculous and shallow, but honestly, I can't help it! I don't shun people or dislike them if they have bad teeth. I imagine in my head how their teeth could look if they whitened them, or got braces. Someday, I'll find a dentist who can fix my gums problem. Until them...I'm still searching.

If I could have picked a profession for Hyrum, and if he would have liked it, I would have chosen for him to be a dentist. Then I'd get all the dental care I wanted for my family at cost. I'd have had him help my extended family for cost too, so that they could all enjoy the benefits of nice teeth. Sadly, Hyrum's hands aren't steady enough for dental work, AND I wouldn't want to stare into nasty mouths all day, so I can't imagine he'd love that either. I could never be a dentist. I would be grossed out.

I'm determined that my kids will have good teeth. They WILL get braces if needed. They WILL be trained to brush morning and night...always. Johnson teeth break all the time, so I have to battle those genes my kids inherited (plus the crooked teeth gene that runs in the Cluff line). Kiersa already thinks it's the greatest thing ever to brush. Let's hope it stays that way.