I blame toothbrush commercials for my ignorant decision to go years without seeing a dentist. If it wasn't for their incessant pleading for me to buy their products, I wouldn't believe brushing my teeth twice a day was enough to maintain oral health for the rest of my adult life. This bliss wears out in an instant when your tooth shatters, propelling you into a state of unimaginable pain that forces you to re-examine every tooth-related decision you've made since you were picking away at the loose ones at age four. And every dentist, I don't care where you go, will say the same thing: if you had flossed three times a day, brushed after every meal, and bathed in flouride, then we wouldn't be going through this right now. It only takes one root canal for us to force ourselves to schedule a teeth cleaning once every 6 months. Though to be honest, we'll still end up skipping them once again.