Question:
Do you have any dentist(s) in Albuquerque to recommend?
I've never had a cavity before, but I've gone a couple of years without a
checkup, so I'm afraid I might! I don't have dental insurance.
Answer:
Not in Abq but, Dr. Thomas H. Hermann in Rio Rancho is absolutely
excellent.
Dr. Mike Thompson is excellent.
Fred Gambolini is excellent, I've had him for 10 years now.
See, I never think of these things, because I haven't had any problems.
Oh, and what about ceramic fillings? If I have a cavity that has to be
filled, I don't want metal in my mouth. Yeah, I know it's expensive, that
they sometimes have to be replaced, etc.
Yeah, well, not that you would know this, but I am a grad student
in biological anthropology, so I am well aware of what factors are most
likely to influence these things. Age DOES have something to do with it:
just being around longer means you've had more time to accumulate cavities.
It doesn't explain why some people get to the 40s with no cavities, and
others have some starting in childhood, and others don't get them until they
have children. But I know 4 people who absolutely did not have a cavity
until pregnancy. If it actually has anything to do with being pregnant,
which is not impossible, it would be some external factor, just like any
other time you get cavities, and not that your teeth are changing composition
- maybe the stuff in your mouth changes somehow. Maybe your saliva gets
stickier (there's some evidence that people with "sticky" saliva vs.
"watery" saliva are more prone to dental calculus), maybe more acids hang
around in there, who knows. Your body changes when you're pregnant.
