Freshman year, I had what is in retrospect an embarrassingly sizable crush on a guy who had big muscles and a great smile. He also had a receding hairline and no emotions, but I didn't really care, blinded as I was by his ear-to-ear grin that revealed a set of beautifully straight, gleaming white teeth. Turned out his dad was a dentist who fitted him with braces as a kid, even though he never needed them, to show off the good doctor's way with a wire.
I spent that first summer home from college being depressed. Partly because I had a demeaning job at an industrial park in Fairfield, New Jersey, partly because I missed my friends from school, and partly because my dentist discovered my first cavity. It was tiny, requiring only the smallest of fillings, but in a family of three kids whose teeth up to that point had always been flawless, the cavity was a blemish on my generation's dental record and a symbol of my weakness, which had already been suggested by my status as the only Sattin kid who needed glasses.
About a year ago I had a short-lived thing for an older guy who was balding and had bad teeth. I couldn't really explain the attraction, and so concluded proudly that at last I had risen above the trappings of appearances. Perhaps due to my own exposure to the Cavity, I had matured to the point where attraction encompassed so much more. Charm. Intelligence. Kindness. Soon I learned that it's not that he had bad teeth, he had no teeth. An unfortunate encounter with a baseball at age 12 doomed him to a life of fake teeth that he would remove during his frequent athletic activities. The first time I saw him without his teeth, my righteous maturity vanished. I was once again 18 and willing to overlook a lack of feelings and sensibility, but not a lack of incisors.
I haven't been to the dentist since 2002, despite my New Year's resolution. Maybe on some level I am trying to punish myself for my superficiality, waiting to go to the dentist until there is something really wrong with my mouth that is too far gone to fix. But hopefully not. See resolution #7 below.
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6 comments:
Um, I went to Adriel Gerard's family's dentist. I was heavily chastised for plaque buildup and the fact that I hadn't been to a dentist in 2 years. But Dr. Lerner did offer to help me find a job... maybe, Anna, you could kill two birds with one stone?
Ian M Lerner, DDS
1 Hanson Pl Ste 2900
Brooklyn, NY 11243
Ph: 718-783-6633
The office is in the Williamburg bank clocktower building by BAM/Target (depending on how you create landmarks) I recommened Maria as the hygienist, though you likely don't get to choose.
Approved by all of the Gerards and myself!
http://dconstructed.blogspot.com/2005/03/tales-from-dentists-office.html#comments
I'm so like a month ahead of you. Despite health insurance, my four cavities ended up costing me over $100 bucks.
And if you're also prone to cavities, just remember: it's not your fault you have soft teeth. Hmm, I think I might put that on a bumper sticker...
I haven't been to the dentist since January '03. My teeth hurt. The other night I had a dream I lost them all. If we go as a group will we get a discount?
Only a cleaning cost me $90 after insurance. Stupid insurance. Erin, how can you enter the profession if you don't keep with with dental technology? I wonder how much Invis-align would run me...
Ummm, how come no one's asked what it was like to make out with someone who didn't have any teeth?
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