Yesterday was even more Spring-Like.

The perfect weather to crawl out of the basement I’m currently signing for a client, jump in the car, roll down all the windows, crank the stereo and schlepp out the the county to see………. my dentist.

Dr. Helfridge, who’s about my dad’s age if not a smidge older, has been my dentist since I was two years old. His small office is staffed by the same helper, Paula… She always remembers and greets me with a familiar warmth of an out of town aunt.

The office itself is a time-capsule… EVERYTHING is exactly the same…. Placing it somewhere the era of early 1970’s. Oddly – the furniture is aging better than the doctor or Paula who are showing the tell-tale signs of fifty-something.

I was fortunate to be born with good teeth – so trips to the dentist growing up were never problematic… I actually “liked” it… Jumping up in the harvest-yellow space-age looking chair and looking at all the tools… I thought I was in a spaceship.

Now… as the years have passed – I note the Harvest Yellow enameled equipment and wonder if I can find a Kitchen Aid stand mixer that same hue.

The consistent thread running through the three decades of visits is the lecture about not flossing enough.

Of course I should have heeded his warnings for the last ten years…

I now apparently have, (he stressed only the “beginnings of”) – “Gum Disease”… I pressed for a technical name,… but knowing about my hypochondriac streak and constant access to the internet – resisted telling me.

Nonetheless – the ole’ “hook-between the teeth” clean-out was quite uncomfortable and when he was done I was spitting out mouthfuls of gore into the mini porcelain sink next to the chair.

He’s referred me to a specialist to be evaluated and maybe get a “raking” done or something like that… not exciting…. but… according to him:

“You’ve got nearly perfect, beautiful, naturally decay resistant teeth, (never had braces) – it’d be a shame if they all fall out in ten years if you don’t get a handle on this condition NOW”.

(*sigh*)

So…. I’ll make an appointment with the specialist when I can afford it….

Meanwhile – I’ll start flossing religiously.

My mouth is too sore today to blog.