Toothcare + Conception

I am just back from my bi-annual trip to the dentist (although it has been two years since my last visit, due to our move from Denver to Houston and my general dread of dentistry).

I don’t mean to bore you with the mundane details of my life, but this particular dentist visit was significant for one reason: It was the last official thing I absolutely had to do before Matt and I start trying to conceive.

Of course there are still significant things on our list, like have more conversations about whether or not we’re ready, and we still need to figure out a sexual intimacy frequency that works for both of us (which will likely be shattered once I’m pregnant and once we have an infant…). But this was the last very concrete item on the list (since you don’t want to get x-rays when you’re pregnant).

I’m only at the beginning of my cycle, but Matt and I may very well start trying to conceive once the egg-white cervical fluid makes its appearance. Even though we’re not completely ready, we recognize that this process can take years. It doesn’t seem very strategic to wait until we are completely ready. If you’re completely ready to have a baby (is there even such a thing if you’re conscious of what it actually entails?), then each month of an unsuccessful conception attempt is a complete disappointment. If you’re not entirely ready, then a piece of you celebrates the fact that you have more time to be more carefree and to just enjoy your partnership.

We’ve been having lots of readiness conversations, since I am more ready than Matt. Part of it stems from the fact that I am five years older than Matt (I’m 32), and I feel more pressure to start now (since fertility issues increase with age). Matt has been talking with friends and family and is starting to realize that most people don’t ever feel completely ready to have children.

I want to be super, super careful not to let the conception process turn stressful. I’m going to keep taking my temperature on weekday mornings and recording my cervical fluid. If we decide to start conceiving, we’ll probably have sex once a day during my fertility window. I’m not going to pee on sticks (waiting 4-5 minutes before getting in the shower gets really old really quickly). I’m not going to assess the state of my cervix. I’m not going to buy a fancy digital monitoring system.

As far as my dental hygiene goes, I begged my dentist to give me advice for beefing up my toothcare regime (since my family has really bad gums). Since I already brush two times a day and floss once, she said the next step would be upgrading to a Sonicare toothbrush. I asked her if I should also be using mouthwash. She said that is a good option, but she is hesitant to recommend too many “next steps.” I also asked her if I should be using a rubber-tipped thingamabob to improve circulation in my gums (thereby strengthening them). She said that wasn’t really necessary (although she finally conceded that it might be good to do it on the bottom, inside of my mouth, since that is my most neglected area).

I’m excited to take better care of my teeth!