I did it. I finally called the dentist and made an appointment. It's a long overdue appointment. I have alot of excuses for not making the appointment sooner- mainly I couldn't find a good time to be out of commission for several days....like planning when to get the flu. See, there is quite a bit that needs to be done - remove the last wisdom tooth, put in a couple fillings, touch up a couple fillings, adjust the crown, then go back for a good cleaning, probably a deep and painful cleaning. So what finally pushed me to finally make the call? My sweet little niece, Katie. She's 5 1/2 and oh so honest. Here's the story:

One evening, while we were at my sister's in San Antonio, my nieces were getting ready for bed. They had brushed their teeth and had come over to show me how clean they were. I asked them if their teeth were squeaky clean. They both began rubbing their teeth with their index fingers until they each got a faint little squeak. "Sure enough! Squeaky clean!" I said. "Are mine squeaky clean?" Katie replied in a straight tone, "No, you have plaque."

So, I'm going to the dentist before my mouth looks like this.