Price of a smile

The ongoing battle to save my teeth

As much as I would like to put my head down and focus on all my various projects, one of the biggest challenges of being a disabled artist is getting sidetracked by all the health-related things. Sometimes it’s major detours like my lengthy hospital stay, but most of the time it’s the smaller stuff that requires one to drop everything and get it taken care of… before it can become a bigger thing.

Last week, I went to the dentist to get nine fillings.

Yes, nine of them in one sitting.

As a by-product of my genetic condition, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, I also have Dentinogenesis Imperfecta, which impacts my teeth. Dentine is the bony substance beneath a tooth's hard, outer enamel. Like my bones, my dentine isn’t formed properly, so my teeth are fragile, and the enamel doesn’t stick to the dentine as it should. I can’t wear braces to straighten my teeth because tightening them would snap them off. I’m also constantly having to go to the dentist to get fillings—or, as I prefer to think of them, “patches”—to repair all the spots where the enamel has broken off.

If you see me smiling in a photo, it’s usually with a closed mouth. Because of all of my various dental issues, my teeth are almost cartoonishly crooked with large gaps between them. I’m also missing a bottom front tooth as it fully snapped off after biting into a breakfast burrito. I make a point of avoiding hard foods like raw carrots, nuts and certain candies, so it was particularly devastating to take a bite into a soft wrap and suddenly see my tooth embedded in it, staring back at me.

I remember video calling Stefan in tears immediately after it happened. He had to reassure me repeatedly that I was still beautiful to him and I didn’t look like a hockey player who just caught a puck in their teeth.

Still, even though I do feel embarrassed at times about my teeth, I am always grateful that I still have them. Many folks with my condition have virtually no teeth by the time they reach my age because they’ve all broken off. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have had good folks maintaining my teeth throughout my life, which has included cleanings with a hygienist every three months, veneers on many of my teeth acting as extra armour and, of course, regular patching sessions.

Since I moved to Calgary, I’ve been seeing Dr. Liji John at Harvest Hills Family Dental, and she’s taken on my incredibly challenging teeth with calm competence. I’ve greatly appreciated her willingness to work with my teeth as they are, as opposed to getting caught up in the aesthetics of trying to achieve a “perfect” smile, as I feel many dentists would.

While I was in the hospital, I was very worried about not being able to attend my regular cleaning appointments, and I feared that my teeth were going to fall apart in the interim. I don’t think I’ve ever been as diligent about brushing my teeth or using my mouthwash in my life.

Given my ongoing back and tailbone issues, I was also worried about how I’d manage the transfer to the dentist chair or sit through the entire appointment.

Thankfully, Dr. John has been more than willing to accommodate my new issues. She works on me while I tilt back in my wheelchair. Because of cords that don’t quite reach, she and her assistant must work closely in tandem. The dentist operates the tools, the assistant operates the foot pedals, and I try valiantly not to gag around all the stuff crammed into my small mouth.

In any case, with my nine patches now behind me—including rebuilding both of my back molars—I’m ready to check off another random health task and move on to other things… like making art!

All smiles at this year’s Hot Chocolate Festival in February

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