My First Ever Mouth Guard

            When COVID-19 hit, I was in the middle of getting all my wisdom teeth removed. The dental clinic that I went to was in Ningyocho and I was still living in Takadanobaba at that time.

            One day before my appointment, the clinic contacted me and informed me that the area around the clinic was prone to infection. It was so vague yet I somehow interpreted that someone at the clinic might have tested positive for COVID-19. Another downside to going there was that I had a suspicion the dentist that extracted my tooth smoked because I could smell cigarettes despite him wearing gloves during my treatment. I dislike the smell of cigarettes and I was nervous about the whole COVID-19 situation so I didn't go back to that place again after that.

            Two years passed and I was sure my teeth badly needed to be checked. So I asked my co-workers for a recommendation and I was introduced to Otemachi Place Dental Clinic. This clinic is located on the B1 floor of Otemachi Place East Tower. The nearest station would be Otemachi and the easiest exits if you are taking the Chiyoda Line would be C1-C3.

            As expected, my teeth needed help. With 4 cavities at hand, a much-needed cleaning and the final wisdom tooth extraction were in the works. However, I found out something I didn’t expect. It seems like due to stress or perhaps my endless love for meat, the dentist told me that I grind my teeth, medically known as bruxism.

            Hence, she ended up advising me to use a mouthguard. My co-worker had the same issue so I asked her for advice on whether she had difficulty adjusting to it. She assured me it was alright so I gave it a try.

 It comes with a case that I didn't get for free but if I am not mistaken, it was only ¥210.

         A few days ago, I finally picked up my mouthguard and it was surprisingly lighter and less bulky than I had originally expected. My hygienist explained how to take care of it in Japanese so it was a bit of a struggle but seeing her do her best to use English words was comforting despite all the awkward little giggles in between.

So she told me to use denture cleaners which I had no idea about since I’ve never heard of them. She kept telling me “Poridento” (ポ リ デ ン ト) and that I could easily find it in pharmacies. Turns out, these are tablets that you use to prevent odor and bacteria that build up in mouthguards and dentures.

                                                     Poridento” (ポ リ デ ン ト

            This one I got for about a little over ¥900 at Tomods and it has a total of 108 + 6 = 114 tablets. The mouthguard cost me ¥3,160 for getting my impressions in one visit and when I picked it up, I paid ¥3, 590 so the grand total would be ¥6,750. Note that I used my national insurance with all my treatments here so no wonder I didn’t pay much.

                                                        Each sheet had 6 tablets 

            My hygienist advised me to wear it every day when I sleep but also told me that if I couldn’t do that, I should wear it at least three times a week which was a huge relief.

            At the time of this writing, I have only worn it once and it wasn’t really that bad. As expected, it was uncomfortable. I had to listen to calming music before I could get settled with it. When I woke up, I even forgot I was wearing one.

            Time will only tell whether I can adjust to wearing it every night. However, all I know now is that I wouldn’t want more damage to my teeth so better keep up the maintenance. I also want to continue visiting my dentist every three months despite the recent surge in new COVID cases. This pandemic won’t stop me from taking care of my pearly whites!