The Most Important ‘Adulting’ Thing You Can Do Is Good To The Dentist

Seriously. It could save you tens of thousands of dollars.

Illustration by the author.

I’ve always thought teeth — as individuals, or as a concept — were kind of, I don’t know, hip? Like, a character in a Wes Anderson film might have a little tooth in a little jar that she keeps in a knapsack, along with a manual about toasters, fleece socks, and a vinyl single of “I Hear A Symphony” by the Supremes. I also love the WORD “teeth.” Combs can have teeth, so can arguments. Teeth are multifaceted.

But I didn’t take particularly good care of mine. I mean, I did fine. I did the same as you probably do. I brushed them every day, and I flossed whenever the opportunity presented itself (like, when suddenly I was made aware of a piece of clean floss), and I went to the dentist when I was a child.

And as a child, I want to note, I hated the dentist. The dentist was always telling me I wasn’t doing a good enough job, and I got cavities constantly. Every time I got a cavity he would say, “CAVITY!” Like he’d just won a prize on a game show. My mom, gentle soul that she is, took me to the toy store after we went to the dentist, and that was the only redeeming thing about that otherwise hellish experience.