The other day I experienced a small miracle.
This is in NO WAY a sponsored post. Just so you know. But I was so blown away that I can't help but share. Maybe one of you can benefit too.
I've alluded lately to the face that my dentist and I are becoming BFFs. I have probably spent more time in that office over the past two months than I spent in my OB's office for the entire duration of my pregnancy. Ok, maybe not, but it certainly feels that way. I am just beyond grateful that it is a nice office, with very comfy chairs and TVs that they position so you can distract yourself with the Food Network or whatever else floats your boat on daytime TV.
Anyway, one of the lovely side effects of dental work for me is I get canker sores, and generally sore cheeks. My teeth feel better, my gums are fine, but the rest of my mouth spends the next week in swollen protest to all the equipment that has invaded the space.
Now, if I were seeing the dentist once, I could deal with the week of discomfort. But my problem was that I was dealing with canker sores and swollen cheeks and just as they started to get better, I was going back for something else and they were flaring up again.
It was getting to be a problem. It was fine that my teeth were better, but my mouth was in agony from these stupid canker sores and the sharp pain they caused when they were touched by ANYTHING. Food, toothbrush, my tongue, anything. My dentist was sympathetic, but couldn't offer much more, other than the suggestion to use Orajel.
After my second to last appointment I just couldn't handle it anymore, so I did what everyone does when confronted with an irritating medical issue. I went to Pinterest and searched for "how to heal mouth sores".
And there, right on the screen, was my miracle.
After several non-helpful articles about how canker sores are technically herpes, and how they sometimes flare up due to stress, and how you can use Orajel, I found the miracle.
Magic Mouthwash.
Funnily enough, I had actually heard of this a couple of years ago when Madison was dealing with Hand, Foot and Mouth. But I'd completely forgotten about it (we didn't use it with Madison after all) and it never even occurred to me that other ailments could also be cured by these two simple ingredients.
SO EASY. Mix liquid Benadryl (I used children's, since we had it) with liquid antacid (I used Maalox because we had it). Swish. Spit. The end.
I did it, brushed my teeth, and went to bed.
And woke up to a COMPLETELY healthy mouth. Not minor relief, total relief.
I was blown away. Had I seriously been waiting out canker sores my entire life when a miracle cure was right in my medicine cabinet? HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS????
I had my final dentist visit (hopefully) last week. I didn't get any new canker sores, but I did experience a completely raw and swollen cheek from where some weird triangle piece of cardboard had been. Because the cheek was swollen, I kept biting it accidentally. Which made it worse.
Would my miracle cure work on swollen cheeks?
Yup. Mixed, swished, spit, brushed, and by the next morning?
Totally normal.
Sometimes it's the little things. This is my miracle right now, and my mouth is thanking Pinterest, BIG time.