I have really great teeth.
I inherited them from my grandfather. Not his teeth
specifically but the genetics that make for good teeth I suppose. Add that to
the five years of braces that accompanied me through adolescence and you’ll
find the least embarrassing physical trait on my person. So taking care of my
teeth is important and going to the dentist is a semi-annual event that I
refuse to miss.
I am fortunate enough to have found a dentist that I like.
He is personable without being nosy or trite. His staff is friendly and
professional. The waiting room is stocked with current magazines but I never
seem to have the time to leaf all the way through one before I am called into
an examination room. There, I can choose the style of music that is played
during my visit. My personal preference is heavy metal but I worry that it sets
the wrong tone for someone wielding sharp metal objects, so I choose the light
jazz.
The dental hygienist and her assistant do most of the
cleaning. I shut my eyes against the blinding, overhead light and they lean
over me to pick at the small bits of plaque that have evaded toothbrush and
floss. They chat idly about their children’s gymnastics, concern for aging
parents, the price of hay, planning a baby shower and which bakery in town has
the best butter cream frosting. I silently wonder at the number of times I have
had similar conversations to pass the time or just to hear myself tell a story
that I want to hear out loud.
When it’s time to
polish my teeth I am able to choose from a list of designer toothpaste flavors
that include cinnamon, grape, strawberry, vanilla-mint. I stick with the
classic mint. Not once am I asked to “rinse and spit.” Every stray bit of
spittle and toothpaste are vacuumed away with a small suction hose. I never
have to sit up once.
At the counter on the way out I can schedule my next
appointment and they have my bill already waiting, adjusted for my personal
insurance program. Altogether, this visit takes less than 45 minutes. I walk
out the door proud to have braved another dental visit and aware that the ache
of my jaw and tingle of my gums will keep me mindful of the great gift I carry
in my mouth.
