Thankful That My Tooth Broke into Bits

About a month ago I was walking down the street holding my boys hands with tears streaming down my face.  I had just broken my tooth and was scared about how much it was going to cost to fix it.  For about two years I had been putting off my much needed dental work for fear of the cost.  Now I was faced with reality.  No dental insurance and a broken tooth.

As the tears ran down my face, both of my boys assured me life was still OK.   “Mommy, we love you. You are going to get your teeth fixed.  It’s Ok.  Love you”

Indeed my boys were right.  Life was still OK.  In fact, life, even at that moment, was beautiful, amazing and absolutely perfect.

I have always been an optimist.  I always look for the silver lining and I keep looking until I find it.  You could say I am tenacious about finding the good.  I know that sometimes my hopeful outlook makes others want to puke and roll their eyes, but I would rather be grateful for what I have verses letting a storm cloud my happiness.

I see other people who spend their days angry, upset, and unhappy.  I see it in their face, I hear it in their voices, in their choices of words.  They are busy tallying up what is wrong.  Meanwhile nature is up to some pretty amazing things.  The trees outside are giving air to breath.  The birds are still singing, the sun is still shining – even if it is behind the clouds!

Growing up my mom would point out an amazing sunset or the tiniest little flower.  My dad would admire the different kinds of grass in our lawn.  My parents oozed of gratefulness.  I guess it couldn’t help but permeate me too.

So when my tooth broke a few weeks ago, yes, I cried, but I also knew there had to be something to be grateful for, so I quickly dried my tears and gave my boys a hug.

As it turns out, breaking my tooth led me to find total health.  Not only was the dentist able to save my tooth, even though it only had two sides left, but he was able to tell me how the health of my mouth was impacting my entire body.

As you may know, I eat like a rabbit.  I love salads and all types of veggies.  White sugar has not been in my cupboards for over 6 years!  Sea veggies and green alkalizing powders and all sorts of other “weird” foods are added to my smoothies.  My stress level is quite low.  Health is my thing, but it hasn’t always been.

In college I had Altoids in my violin case and popped them in my mouth everyday.  I had a bag of  candy next to me while I was studying.  During a few short years I developed a ridiculous amount of cavities   9? 12?  I lost count.   When I met my husband I knew he loved me because I had just undergone grafting and surgery for periodontal disease, so he had to introduce me to some of his friends with this crazy big fat lip due to the wax I had to keep on my front bottom teeth to protect them from my recent surgery.

The point is, my dental health reflected what I ate.   As I started to eat better over the years I did not keep up with my teeth.  I was neglecting to look at the whole body prospective, the exact thing I believe in!

As it turns out, when I went to get my broken tooth fixed I found out that I had crazy bad bacteria in my mouth and early periodontal disease again! This disease can be linked to heart issues, low birthweight babies, a whole host of issues.  It is basically an infection in your mouth that your body fights every single day.  It zaps you of your energy and health. It may also be causing the dark patches on my leg.  Immediately I embraced fixing everything in my mouth and immediately my body responded with a BIG thank you!  Things that were issues, are now clearing up.

I have always believed that our body sends us messages if we just listen.  Now I know this to be true.

Breaking my tooth led me to finding that last piece of the puzzle to amazing health.  I knew I had been ignoring it and it took something so big as breaking my tooth to point me in the right direction.

As I reflect on writing this post, while I am still grateful I broke my tooth, what I am most grateful for in my life is my perspective.  My ability to always see the good in life.  My unwavering, drive you nuts, total optimism.  I am grateful that I see life as a series of choices.  We may not choose what happens in a moment, but we can always choose how we react.  I choose to react with gratefulness for the lesson to be learned, for the chance to grow and I have my parents to thank for that.  While I may not be perfect – I see my life as perfect and for that I am grateful.

Wishing you a wonderful day full of gratitude~

Summer Joy

About The Author

Summer Brackhan

Mom, sociologist, teacher, author, musician, world traveler, parenting and health coach who believes healthy living incorporates body, mind and soul and that life is not about living in little boxes, but experiencing everything at its fullest.

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