Dentists and Dentistry

I read long ago a turn of the century novel, McTeauge. It was about a self taught dentist. Greed and Murder.

Painful stuff.

Growing up, dentistry was not as it is today. Mostly it was remedial. You had a problem they fixed it best they could.

Then somewhere as I was getting older the dentistry industry sold us all the idea that cosmetically we must have perfect teeth to get that perfect mate and live that perfect life.

It wasn't true and isn't... but we were told that. And culturally we bought it.

So now, decades later people my age who have teeth less than perfect are looked at as if we are just off the river in Deliverance.

I never noticed that my wonderful and beautiful wife had less than perfect teeth. It never occurred to me. Nor did she notice that of me. In fact, I was a bit of a freak. I had a tooth missing right in the front and wore a partial plate that kept slipping out.

Not until I was in my mid adulthood did I get it fixed.

Yesterday, I went in and had my second root canal ever. I lived thru it. I had been so impacted I could no longer drive. That's how bad the infection had spread thru my whole body. Even taking a strong regimen of Antibiotics I was barely able to keep it all at bay.

Now the dentist has done what he does. It was remedial. And, knowing what to expect it wasn't as bad as the first one which in hell would have been considered punishment. OK I'm kidding.

Anyway, once again your faithful gleaner is strong like bull once again. Whole and ornery.

Good to be back.