At night, my gums swelled, always soon after dinner.
I knew something was wrong with my teeth, but at the age of 27, I didn’t have dental insurance. Instead of visiting a professional, I’d heat a pair of tweezers over the stove to sterilize them, allow them to cool for a few minutes, and then I’d plunge them into my gums, again and again, until blood seeped out of my lips and my entire mouth was burning from the ache in my gums and my futile attempts to find the cause.
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