Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Yes. Yes I did write an essay about flossing.

        In today’s society if you wish to be successful and get the most out of life you are required to work hard and be diligent. For you to obtain a Masters degree for instance, you must go through years of schooling. You must listen attentively in countless lectures. You must study and prepare while you stress about important tests. You must ensure that every deadline has been met and that the quality of your work is at its best. For you to achieve that goal you must be devoted to the area of study that you are in. It takes a lot of hard work. The same can be said of oral hygiene. I hate flossing with a passion. However, I am a very vain person so therefore I like to look my best. I brush my teeth two times a day, everyday. My dentist tells me I am excellent at brushing my teeth. He also tells me that I need to floss. I hear that every time I go to the dentist. I usually disregard it as nonsense. A way for the toothbrush industry to squeeze a little more cash out of the average person. At my last check up I was informed that I had a cavity. I was shocked. My dentist told me that the cavity was a result of not flossing my teeth. I realized that in order to maintain a healthy mouth I needed to start to floss. The decision  to floss was one that I knew was going to require a lot of hard work, discipline and diligence.
There are many obvious difficulties when it comes to flossing. Flossing is a lot of hard work when you compare it to brushing your teeth. Brushing your teeth is a relatively simple task. You squeeze a little bit of toothpaste onto the bristles of your toothbrush and you gently scrub away the plaque on your teeth. Flossing is a a different story. You must wrap the dental floss around your fingers and force the floss into the nonexistent gaps in between your teeth. Not only does the floss cut off circulation to your fingertips, but it also involves you placing your dirty, well worn fingers in your mouth. To me it seems counter productive. To effectively clean your mouth you must first place something dirty inside of it. 
By avoiding the grueling struggles associated with flossing I am plagued with dental problems. Every time I go to the dentist the dental assistant pokes and pricks the delicate areas of my mouth. She will continue to jab my mouth with her metal instrument all the while saying “Oh my. See how much your gums are bleeding? You need to floss more.” The pain is unbearable. If flossing can result in invulnerability to the crazed dental assistants torture instruments then maybe it could be worthwhile. This past trip to the dentist revealed that I had a cavity from a lack of flossing. Not only did I have to endure the torture at the hands of the dental assistant, but I also have to endure the horrors of getting a filling. My mouth will be frozen rendering it useless, I will be forced to fast for half of the day and worst of all, I will be summoned to the dentist offices at 9:15 in the morning. the news I received at the dentists office that day made me realize that I needed to make some serious changes regarding my oral hygiene.
In order to overcome the dental issues associated with a lack of flossing I have had to work hard and remain diligent in my goal of obtaining perfect oral hygiene. I have had to ensure that I remember to floss at least once a day. The results of my hard work have included a healthier mouth, a brighter smile, better breath and I am no longer tortured by the dental assistant every time I go to the dentist. I actually enjoy going to the dentist now because I receive compliments on my oral health and my already healthy mouth gets a more thorough cleaning. I was able to overcome the struggle of not flossing enough with hard work and diligence.
During my journey towards proper oral hygiene I learned some valuable lessons. I realized that absolutely every goal in life requires hard work. Whether it be becoming a professional athlete, getting a degree or something as simple as flossing everyday, it will take lots of hard work. Some goals may require much more work than others but everything in life requires that you work hard and are diligent. If you have those two virtues, then you will be much more likely to obtain your goals and will likely live a much more fulfilling life.

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