I had to go to the dentist this morning. I broke a little piece off a tooth. Didn’t seem like much, but I thought I should get it checked.
This isn’t unusual for me. I have a habit of breaking off pieces of teeth, which thankfully, has become a pretty easy fix these days.
I know there are many who don’t like going to a dentist. I really don’t have much of a problem with it, largely because I have spent a lot of time in a dentist’s chair over the years.
I was one of those people who had fairly crooked teeth as a child. After ten years with an orthodontist, they turned out pretty good. In fact, you would be hard pressed to tell there was ever an issue. But it does mean I try to take some care with them. Given what I went through to get them this way.
But when I went to get the little chip smoothed off, they discovered it was a bit more than that. So they ground down the tooth a bit and used some of that marvelous new filling material to build it back up to where it was. It took longer than I expected, but it still ended up being far less time then what it would have years ago.
Really, a visit to the dentist has become a far nicer experience over the last few years. Procedures and equipment have gotten much better and easier for the patient, and probably for the dentists as well. Even the material they use for fillings is a major improvement. I remember they squeaking sound it used to make as they jammed it into a tooth. It always reminded me of finger nails on a chalk board. But now, they stick in some of this magic stuff, shine a light on it, and you’re good to go.
It’s almost pleasant enough I would like to stay a bit longer. Just to finish watching the TV show that’s on the screen they have mounted on the ceiling above you. Another major improvement.
