The routine

So I changed my life walking around Glasgow, how many stories begin like that?

I was up there trying to get back on kilter after a really bad placement experience. I had pursued a foray into hypnotism during my efforts at self flagellation at the place, and was made aware by a counsellor/hypnotist that I suffered from visible signs of chronic anxiety. This is where, rather than a shot of acute anxiety, rushing up you like steel (as it's described by sufferers of acute anxiety), you have a continuous leak of anxiety hormones into your body all the time, wearing you down as you are alert during rest time.

Learning to let go off the past and some retribution for these great wrongdoings I ruminated over, that was the first step. My good friends helped me out with that part. Afterwards, there was the routine...

What is this routine John?
Tell us already!

Ok, so I've set you up with enough background for you to get the routine down. It started with the dentist visit in Glasgow. The dentist saw me for all of 5 minutes and completely assessed what was wrong. A dental hygienist took care of the actual treatment and scaling. She asked that I use interdental brushed with peroxyl to try and get under the gum line cleaned, and she recommended I buy an electric toothbrush.

I asked the receptionist about the toothbrush and she said "get an Oral B, it changed my life" and I noted she had lovely teeth. The whole experience was just strange. There it was that the dentist held a mirror in my mouth, revealing a bank of gold tartar that, to my utter disgust, I'd never even noticed in my own mouth... But there was a lot of hope everywhere and support in every corner.

I booked an appointment for three weeks later (two sessions to remove the tartar, fuck) and walked straight into Superdrug. I bought an Oral B, sets of TePe interdental brushes, a bottle of peroxyl, and I scrubbed and brushed my teeth like a lunatic for a month. Everyday, over and over, brush, brush, brush. I went back to the dentist and she was shocked. "You did it, this is such a huge difference, we should have took before and after photos!" We talked at length about how "I obviously got you hooked and interested then" and, at the end of almost 90 minutes of scaling and messing about with my teeth, she said "I'm glad you came when you did because you have lovely teeth" and I bounced out of the room, elated! My parents had noticed the change too and couldn't stop commenting, but I was unawares, it was just invisible to me. But, it only started with the dentist...