WRITING PROMPT RESPONSE | A TASTE FOR LIFE

Some may remember from my article "Ten Things You Don't Know About Me" that I have a cleft lip and gum. Thankfully, my whole palette is not cleft, but my gum is, which has caused numerous teeth problems throughout my life.

From very early on in my childhood, I visited the dentist and orthodontist relentlessly. Because of my cleft gum, no teeth could grow in a couple of spots, so starting at a very young age, I had a retainer that had teeth on it to fill the gap. As I grew, my retainers would grow and they were always refitted and updated to fit my ever-changing mouth.

The older I got, the more I realized that my fake teeth could be used to freak out the boys that would tease me. I was able to just flick out my retainer using my tongue, and I would do so much to the surprise of whoever was annoying me. It usually shut them up pretty good.

My girlfriends were always very entertained by me and my fake teeth.

At one point I got a small partial plate that was glued in behind my regular teeth, that had fake teeth on it to fill my gap. Well, over time, the glue would release and that plate fell out so many times.

It's disgusting to think about this now, but a few times I glued it back in using crazy glue!

One day we were in school and I started talking and my whole plate fell right out of my mouth.

"Oh shit, my teeth just fell out!" I exclaimed as I swooped down under my desk to retrieve it.

Well, this sent my girlfriends into fits of laughter that no teacher could ever contain. We were all entertained by my teeth or lack thereof.

At the age of 18, I finally got a permanent bridge put in. Well, permanent as long as the bridge lasts, that is. The dentist who did it told me then that it would last until I was 40. I'm 45 now, and I cringe at the thought of it breaking! In fact, I'm starting to be careful of what I eat for fear that my front teeth will crumble right out of my mouth!

So yeah, I have a complicated mouth.

I'm not sure when the dreams, or nightmares, of losing my teeth began, but they have been there for much of my life.

I'll wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night thinking that my teeth have either broken or fallen out. I'm sure this all stems from a life of dealing with not having a normal set of teeth.

As we travel, my teeth falling out or breaking is certainly a worry of mine. I just hope that when it does happen that I'm in a country that has good dentistry!

Thanks for reading about my worst nightmare! It's certainly not a normal one, that is for sure:)

Thanks also to Jason Edmunds for your unique weekend prompts. It is amazing the stories that I have had come to the surface because of them.

To read all of my writing prompts for A Taste For Life, click below:

Hi there, we are 2 Canadians, Jill and Chris from Artistic Voyages. We have been nomadic since 2017 living in numerous different countries, and experiencing the life and diversity of our planet on the ground and firsthand. We paint FREE murals in exchange for accommodation. Check us out on Ko-fi!

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