the unexpected benefit of allergy medicine, or how zyrtec saved me from getting yelled at by my hygenist

this afternoon i went for my twice-annual gum bleeding. or what i thought was going to be my twice-annual gum bleeding.
i don't ever have a problem brushing my teeth twice a day, but seem to have the darndest time remembering to floss. even with that new handy reach 'floss on a stick', i just can't seem to remember.
so when it comes time to go to the dentist, i know i can look forward to a half hour of throbbing, bleeding gums and a severe tongue-lashing from my cute-as-a-button hygenist, Jamie.
so today i went in, expecting more of the same, and was surprised to hear Jamie tell me that everything looks great and that my gums barely bled at all. this was not at all what i was expecting, since i only flossed four times in the past six months. and those were the four days leading up to my appointment, in a last-ditch effort to quell my guilty conscience.
and then out of nowhere, Jamie asked me if i had started taking allergy medication.

um, what? come again?

as a matter of fact, zyrtec became my new best friend about two months ago. what does that have to do with my gums?
well apparently, if you're congested when you sleep, you breathe more through your mouth. which creates some sort of extra-oxygenated, saliva-y, bacteria friendly environment that makes your gums pink and tender.

huh.
interesting.

so zyrtec not only got rid of my neverending sinus headache, it also helped my gums.

awesome.