Slap on a Happy Grin
Writing Prompt: Do you like going to the dentist?
“You have your father’s teeth,” my mom is fond of saying. My dad’s got strong teeth, and two teeth that overlap at the center bottom — as do I.
In comparison, my mom considers her teeth as “weak,” largely due to an incident that occurred in high school. A collision during gym class broke most of her front teeth. Before the age of 20, she had partial permanent dentures. Now just shy of her 79th birthday, nearly all of her teeth have been replaced with artificial ones.
As a child, I rarely went to the dentist. It was expensive, and we couldn’t afford the upfront costs. When I did go, my teeth were cleaned, and I was nearly always given an exemplary report — no cavities or complaints.
It wasn’t till senior year of high school that I had a major dental intervention. All four wisdom teeth were impacted. My dentist also warned me that I brush too vigorously and possibly too much, as I was starting to wear down my gums at the incisors, which get brushed twice (from the front and sides). My mom’s insurance would not cover aesthesia for the procedure, so I went to the dentist, who shot me full of as much Novocaine as practical and began slicing and pulling.
