Dear Crappy British Teeth, I hate you.
As if having 3 holes in my mouth wasn’t bad enough, I now have a chipped front tooth. Awesome. At what point dear teeth are you just going to all fall out and laugh at me from the pavement?
Truth be told I’m afraid to take Lucy Puggle to obedience school. I don’t want to crush her fun loving spirit. She’s a total stinker, but she’s also the best thing that has happened to us in a long time and we love every bit of her. Even when she’s naughty.
Why scrub the deck when you can use a pressure washer instead and save your back?
Our duo of roosters have found their vocal cords. Good times. If they know what’s good for them they’ll stop singing and pull out their tail feathers so they’ll fit in a little better.
Black Fatty is not amused with them one bit.
Nothing says classy like a mattress on the back porch. 😉
So what’s new with you? And what do you think I should do about my stupid teeth?
~Mavis
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LH says
My teeth are terrible too! This is suppose to help
http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Products/ButterCodLiverBlend/index.cfm
Billie says
Yes! Get some of that and start making and drinking homemade broth (prefferably w/bones from grassfed/pastures animals), and get plenty of grassfed butter in your diet too! Look up Weston Price Foundation and the book Cure Tooth Decay. Totally stopped my little ones tooth decay…we’re talking teeth crumbling away to the gumline and stopped shortly after changing our diets!
Billie says
I’m not saying you have decay…just that those things will strengthen your teeth…:)
Christina says
Ditto…I was amazed by learning that you can actually remineralize and strengthen teeth. The book Cure Tooth Decay explains a lot as does Weston A Price foundation. Of course, it won’t help with the chip but can prevent it from happening again. I make my own bone broth, take fermented cod liver oil, and have given up sugar and processed foods, and switched to raw milk. It is working for me!
Carole Browne says
If you are in the habit of opening things with your teeth…..STOP!!!!
Lucy needs to have some obedience training, and a good instructor will not change her fun loving spirit. If anything it will make her more fun to live with. You are lucky to be able to be outside, albeit cleaning. We are frozen here in Ohio with temps below 0, and the thought of being outside just makes us all want to run and get back under the covers! Enjoy being in your garden and think about all us frozen readers aout there.
Debbie says
Hi Mavis – Sorry about your tooth. See your dentist ASAP – to get your tooth repaired to prevent any more damage. Hope your day gets better. Obedience training would be good for Lucy – even if it just the basic course, it also helps to train the owner. Training will not make a perfect dog but does make for better owner – pet communication.
Jenifer says
I heavily chipped my front 2 teeth (lost the bottom half on each) playfully wrestling with my dad over a bag of Smarties when I was 15 (accidentally “kissed” the refrigerator). Bonded, veneered and 30 years later, no chips, dinks or stains even wrestling over another bag of Smarties. Veneers baby – worth the money!
PattyB says
Those roosters have a look of machismo about them. Can you get their vocal cords cut? Just a silly thought but think of the fertilized eggs and maybe even your own baby chicks!
erin says
We had a rooster like your black and white one (he was our bonus, haha, in our chick order). His name was chester and he got too rough with my ladies so he made his way to my dinner table. Plus he started attacking me when i gathered eggs. Good luck with your teeth. Keep paying your dental insurance!
Patty P says
I chipped (and cracked) my front adult tooth when I was a child…they secured the crack from the backside of the tooth with some kind of stuff (I’m assuming something like they use in fillings) and they filed off my front teeth so they were even. This might just require some filing??? ( I know it sounds horrendous…but based on what you have already been through with your teeth, it might be a walk in the park…
Mavis Butterfield says
Let’s hope it’s an easy fix. Sheesh, I just can’t get a break with my teeth.
Madam Chow says
I chipped my right front tooth last year. I haven’t bothered yet to fix it ’cause too much is going on. Also, a positive reinforcement training class will not break Luc’s spirit.
ChrisM says
I chipped my front tooth just like that (twice). The dentist was able to just polish off my tooth. I’ve got crappy teeth too, and I take really good care of them! I’ve got a crown that is holding one tooth together. Next time that crown comes off, the dentist says I will need an implant. My husband, who only brushes his teeth in the morning (rarely at night, gross) has NO cavities. Perfect teeth. Ugh.
Bible Babe says
Years ago had an Antique Dominicker Rooster. He was beautiful, but he was shy with my hens when we first got him. Apparently he had been bullied by an older rooster at his former home. We named him Boy George. The first day we brought him home, my hens had been without a rooster for quite some time, and they practically mugged him. He ran intot he hen house, jumped on the roost and hid his head under his wing, he was so freaked out!
darlene says
Lol, Boy George!
Leah says
Kind of embarrassing, but I chipped my front tooth licking the last drops of a delicious stew out of my crock pot while cleaning up the dinner dishes. I waited longer than I should have to get it fixed, but it was not a big deal and not especially painful or anything either. I also try to refrain from licking dishes 😉
Mavis Butterfield says
How on earth did you chip a tooth licking a dish?
Dena says
On the bright side, when I chipped one of my front teeth, I was able to whistle through the small hole! Then my parents made me get a cap over it, & I had to learn to whistle the normal way!
Good obedience training does not break the spirit, it only enhances it.!
Chad says
I chipped my tooth last weekend, too. During dinner I bit a fork (I can’t be the only one). I went to see my dentist a few days later. After $50, I was in and out of the dentist office in less than 20 minutes. That little chip was going to drive me crazy.
tracey says
Go to your dentist!! I chipped my front tooth when a friend bumped my arm while I was taking a drink from a glass beer bottle.(classy, I know) She used a diamond bit and smoothed out the bottom edge of both front teeth to match. Totally painless, took 5 minutes, so worth it.
Mavis Butterfield says
Stay Classy Tracey. 😉 LOL You made my day.
Jen says
I fly to Mexico to see my dentist, so you know… that’s always an option. If you are, or will be, on antibiotics* make sure to do your research so you know which probiotics to stock up on (you CAN take them the same day as antibiotics, just space them out) and stock up on the right vegetables to help your immune system. I really did myself a disservice by stopping my probiotics last time I was in Mexico. I had three root canals (it took a couple days, it was messy….) in ONE tooth and a brass post put in. Nothing says “happy honeymoon baby” like a shiny new brass post.
I chipped a tooth once sledding. Were you sledding? Were you at least having fun?
*referring to your implants
darlene says
Aw, darn it! My sister broker her front tooth in half while visiting us at the end of summer (tripped over her own dog and hit it on the floor). Ended up being a root canal and a crown, but you can’t even tell! It looks perfect.
I feel bad for your implant saga as well. My husband is going in next week for his “screw” placement and then the implant a few months later. Just one has been very painful, I can’t imagine 3 🙁
Beth says
Mavis,
Such a bummer about your teeth- I hate going to the dentist more than anything and I have pretty crappy teeth too so I understand- I didn’t previously attribute it to my English heritage but hey, why not? My son on the other hand- I think his teeth are made of titanium- he did have to have braces but he is now 27 years old and has NEVER had a cavity- and trust me, it isn’t that he has the perfect dental hygiene routine….just lucky! As for Lucy, I agree about the obedience training- it will not ruin her spirit but a well-behaved dog is truly a happier dog- knowing what they are to do and having the tools to do it makes dogs more confident and happy- or at least that’s what Katha’s trainer convinced me when we put her in puppy kindergarten long ago.
By the way, I was at Walmart yesterday and noticed they had tie dye and camoflauge cake mixes…what the what? I took a picture of the tie dye one because it amused me so…
Ruth Ward says
Go to the dentist. My dentist uses a special epoxy and his ultra violet light which hardens it to a near enamel hardness. Also start taking calcium supplements with a multi vitamin and mineral. You need zinc to absorb the calcium. Your dentist can also put a hardener on your teeth to keep them from chipping. And I assume that you are an ice chewer, as am I. Cut back on the ice chewing. That habit is extremely hard on your teeth.
L says
Hi Mavis, I’ve had my whole top arch replaced with veneers or crowns. I’ll spare the entire story here, but would be happy to tell you all about it- feel free to shoot me an email. Good luck!
And I say let Lucy be the stinker she was born to be 🙂
Cheryl says
I am assuming Lucy is a young’un? I just got a new rescue, thought he was 6…he is the dreaded 3 year old in the house…even with obedience, it’s like living with a teenager…constantly pushing the boundaries! Thankfully I have 2 other dogs, a 7 year old and an 11 year old who occasionally take him to task for his stupid decisions. Teach her the basics: sit, down, drop it, leave it, stay to protect her and you’ll still have the wackiness of her personality, I guarantee it.
Mavis Butterfield says
So far I can get her to sit and “leave it” about 50% of the time. 🙂
Vickie says
Be sure to only use a soft bristle tooth brush and sensitive toothpaste. Regular toothpaste is very abrasive. You can even brush your teeth without toothpaste as the brushing action is what cleans the teeth. Some toothpastes even help harden existing enamel. Also, try to avoid acidic and/or sugary foods and drinks and drink lots of water. If you do drink something acidic (like tea, sorry), it’s best to drink it faster rather than slower to minimize it’s effect on your teeth, then drink some water to help rinse your mouth. Chewing gum also helps clean your teeth. Ask your dentist about veneers. They might help keep your teeth healthier. Lucy is so cute. I love your postings about her. You will not harm her spirit with some basic obedience training. I was so glad that I did obedience training for my dog as I was doing a lot of things wrong and confusing the dog and teaching him how to misbehave. He was still my spoiled baby afterwards but a little better behaved.
Cee says
If obedience training is killing her spirit you are doing it wrong. I highly recommend the book “When Pigs Fly!: Training success with impossible dogs” by Jane Killion. It’s all about working with the natural tendencies of your dog to channel them into positive behaviors rather than negative (and sometimes dangerous – the leave it command saved my dog from swallowing a pill I dropped that was highly toxic to dogs). The author really recognizes that each dog is different and you work with the dog’s personality. It’s geared towards hard to train breeds, but the techniques are universal.
Ariel says
Obedience school WILL NOT crush Lucy’s spirit. Our Daisy pug went, loved getting extra treats, learned a little, and was still just as feisty at home 😉
In terms of teeth–feel free to bother my boyfriend, the Dentist, with any questions!!
Lisa says
My dentist just sanded or drilled or whatever a little chip smooth. It wasn’t any more or less like yours. Unless someone looks really closely (and they shouldn’t!) you look fine!
Barbee near Dallas says
Fixing that tooth will be a breeze, probably painless too!
Your dentist can make an invisible repair w/ one of the new bonding processes-it will be good as new. 🙂
Do it, get it fixed, you won’t regret it. I’m sure you can guess how I know.
IMO: Doggie obedience may someday save her life. Our little ‘car chaser’ had to go to school twice. 🙂
Caroline says
Hey Mavis,
I’d take the Silver Laced Wyandotte roo in a heart beat if I was back in Washington already. I’m planning on getting them, Buff Orphingtons and maybe some Narragansett Turkeys – all nice calm breeds thank-you-very-much.
As for Lucy, it’s all about the type of classes you take her to. Find someone certified through the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) in positive reinforcement training. An immediate down and an immediate come are essential for the safety of any pet. When I was training my first collie for competition obedience, a down then come saved me from having to give her a skunk bath! And believe me, she was still a spunky character (I still miss her!). But half the battle is training you – I have a friend who had a very well trained obedience titled and AKC Champion terrier. He got out of the fence, as terriers are wont to do. She called the dog instead of dropping him (down) and he got hit by a car. It was a terrible tragedy that could happen to anyone – but thinking about these types of things can save your dogs life. Plus, they’re easier to live with when they have some manners! (Says the lady with two 14 month old terrorists on her hands – they’re actually not that bad, but still!). 🙂
Caroline
Shoshannah Collies
Gerrie says
If you use positive reinforcement training she will enjoy it and become better behaved. I have terrible teeth too, it sucks.
Carol says
So sorry about the chip. I have been there, too. You will hopefully be amazed at what your dentist can do to smooth it out. As to darling Lucy… I had a lovely yellow lab. She was a stinker, too. But! What I found out was that she actually loved to learn how to please us. When we took her to doggie school, it was like a light clicked on for her. It wasn’t a punitive situation at all, and she loved, loved, loved pleasing us. We just gave her affection and praise as rewards. You might need to do a little research on which kind of dog training would suit her temperment and yours. My Dixie dog was so well trained except for the “stay” command. She would only “stay” when I was looking at her. When I turned my back, she would creep closer. Over time she did get better at this, too. I learned how important doggie school was after she was hit by a car after following me down our long driveway. Sometimes it’s a safety issue for your dog, as well.
Becka says
Sorry to hear you have more teeth problems. Hopefully this one can be repaired easily.I chipped one of my front teeth pretty badly when I was pushed into the jungle gym on the school playground when I was eight years old (over 50 years ago!) When I got my first job out of college I was able to get it fixed by the dentist who applied a bonded substance with an ultra-violet light. It lasted for many years and I had it replaced a few years ago because it was a bit discolored. The process was totally painless. Your chip looks pretty small so maybe the dentist can just smooth it out a bit and you will be good to go.
Jen M says
Lol! You would think that us ole’ couponers with tons of free toothpaste on the shelf would have perfect pearly whites! 🙁 I am as well am missing 3 back teeth and sport a very small chip on my front too. Look on the bright side, you have very pretty chompers for being a devoted tea drinker. Crappy British teeth may be bad, but so it Irish!
Jezibels says
I too chipped my bottom tooth on a coffee mug a year ago, never got it fixed, debating on filing it down a little myself because I can never psych myself up to go to the dentist.
Linda says
See a good dentist…
CathyB says
My son chipped his tooth also, worse than yours, and it was easy-peasy to fix. They just use an epoxy to shape it and then harden it with a light. I don’t even think they had to numb him. I would definitely get it fixed or it could be a weak spot that eventually causes more problems.
susan says
I noticed you had glass panels (are they glass?) on your deck. So do we, I was wondering how you clean/treat them. My husband scrubs them once a year and then applies Rainex on them to help prevent spots. Anything you do?
Kelly Keane says
Hi Mavis, sorry to hear about your tooth. I chipped my tooth a million years ago and my mom took me to the dentist and the repair has held for about 40 years!! Wow!!! Make sure you see your dentist. My husband’s teeth are bad. I think I will be looking into the book mentioned above, Cure for tooth decay.
I have gone round and round about ours dogs and their misbehaving. We have never taken ours to obiedience classes. I think its just a family choice as to how bad the behavior is and how much you want it to stop.
Anyway, have a good day and thank for all your posts especially the gardening ones. You helped me a lot last year with our first garden. My kids now want to plant veggie they see!! 🙂