The Dentist

Yesterday, I rode my bike to the dentist. I had what I thought was a loose crown and hoped that Dr. J could glue it back on before it fell off. It wasn't that easy. I ended up with my first tooth extraction. I felt a little shaky after the ordeal and didn't feel that I could ride home so I called my knight in shining armour. He came, loaded my trusty steed into the trunk of his car and took me home. While I rested in the living room, he made supper: Lasagne and ceasar salad. To use Heather's words, I think I'll keep him.

When I and my siblings were young, my folks, even though they were poor immigrants made sure that we went to the dentist every 6 months. It probably had something to do with the fact that they both had dentures.

Dr. H was a nice enough man and believed in "no pain" dentistry. When he found a cavity, he'd start drilling until I jumped out of the chair, and then he'd stop, fill the hole and send me on my way. My friends would talk about needles their dentists would give them, including all the gory details as young people are wont to do, and I was pleased that Dr. H was kind enough not to use them.

I found a dentist near my home when I moved to Winnipeg. I forget his name but I'll call him, Dr. Drill'nfill. He informed me that I had 17 cavities and they all needed filling. He drilled four troughs in my teeth, filled them up and sent me on my way. He was the first dentist to tell me that I should floss although after his work, there were few spaces left between my teeth.

Not long after Dr. Drill'nfill, I started going to Dr. J. He is a good dentist and over the years has redone much of the work of Dr. Drill'nfill and Dr. H. Dr. J is not fast, but he is good. I often think that he would be a good sculptor, the way he works on my teeth to make them just right. He has never said anything to me about my previous dentists but he must wonder about them when he's doing work on my mouth.

So, I think I can thank my 2 previous dentists for my most recent problem. Dr. H for not fixing it well enough in the first place and Dr. Drill'nfill for being less than careful. Dr. Drill'nfill retired shortly after he finished working on my mouth and Dr. H went into real estate. Hmmm.

I have a lot of faith in Dr. J and am taking his advice on how to proceed. He recommended an implant, something he doesn't do himself but he has a brother-in-law in Beausejour who can do it cheap...