Herbie The Dentist

I went to the dentist this week and am happy to report no cavities or issues (actually no problems since I have been in Ohio).
I don't like going to the dentist for a few reasons. One of the main
reasons is that I still have my wisdom teeth, and despite not having
any problems dentists have been telling me to get them out for over 10
years ("you're not the boss of me, bosser"). It also takes like 4 months to get in after you remind yourself you are overdue (I made this appt in Sept).

So I went to the dentist this week. I was overdue by a couple years meaning:
As long as I have been with Rachel overdue.
His office moved (closer to work) overdue.

Things that go against me at the dentist:
I had some cavities as a kid.
I had braces for over 5 years before I knew of redox reactions.
I still drink regular non-diet soda (I guess they expect adults to switch to diet at a certain age?).
I'm still a fan of candy (spree, nerds, sour patch kids, not so much chocolate).
I have my impacted wisdom teeth.

Things that go for me at the dentist:
I'm a flosser, at night which means I don't when I am too tired. But I still figure that has to put me in the top 10-15% of the general population.
I use listerine twice a day religiously, like top 5% of the population (it doesn't burn after you use it for a while).
I'm a meticulous brusher who visualizes the areas I am cleaning. Rachel says it looks like I am making love to my toothbrush.
I recently found out I probably use twice as much toothpaste as normal. The directions say a pea sized portion, but those old Aquafresh commercials show them covering the entire brush.
I used to use a spin brush (spiderman, actually when Rachel and I started dating) but have converted to an ultra soft normal brush. That loud motor isn't a good idea when you are sneaking into bed at 2am.

Going to the dentist in Mass for a cleaning went like this:
Scheduled for 20 mins tops.
Cleaned by a hygienist with a 2 sec visit from the dentist, probably so they can sign off on some paperwork.

My dentist in Ohio is great (*****). It is a small business run by 2
brothers. One handles the finances and the other does all the dental
work. He is close to work so I like to do the lunch time getaway for a
cleaning. They used to only charge the same amount as my work insurance
would cover, but now they are $12 over.
The average amount of time it takes for a cleaning is 1 hour, and he explains everything he is doing and his opinion on the science which is good for an engineer. I said I was top 5% forListerine use because he says he uses it at least
5 times a day and if it could kill you he'd be dead. I also asked him
to settle mine and Rachel's debate about floss before or after
brushing. He said he was no help since he was a brush-floss-brush-Listerine guy.

So my successful track record so far won't change any of my candy/soda habits anytime soon. I seriously can't drink diet soda. I have also done research into soda alternatives and there really aren't any. People think Coke is one of the worst things for your teeth because of that demo where you soak a tooth in soda all night. You'd think going to juice would be an option, but most juices have as much sugar. AND anything that contains citric acid is 12 times worse for your teeth than sugar, with sweetened iced tea (Brisk etc) being one of the worst things you can drink for your teeth. So that leaves the low pH of Coke left to deal with which I think Listerine is very effective at handling every 12 hours (see their new cap sticker).