Ah, the dentist.  How we all love going to have decaying bone matter drilled out of our heads.  I took this dramatic shot at my most recent office visit.

Well, I am among the many that have been permanently traumatized by dentists.  For me it was the unfortunate occurrence of an abscessed tooth.  My dentist, when I was about three, was insane.  As he is now deceased, I begrudgingly allow him to remain somewhat anonymous as he will cause no further neurosis in young children.  I henceforth refer to him simply as NORMAN THE BARBARIAN.  Apparently he died painfully, though I can not say I had any part in his demise.

He attempted to pull a tooth without it being frozen.  I cried, he screamed and turned red in the face and he looked as if he were going to smack me.  From that point onward, I was terrified.  For two years, I had to be placed under general anesthetic for dental work.  It was a sober minded yet kind dentist who helped me to get back in the chair.  My first appointment was to merely count my teeth..  Many years of orthodontic work followed. 

My T.M.J saw my dentist who is also a surgeon recommend that I have my jaw broken, and wired shut to realign it.  This would have been a great physiological advantage, but my parents were kind enough to protect me from that pain, opting for orthodontic treatment of my over bite.

Since that time, my dentist, who has aged 27 years along with me, has decided to focus on surgery rather than general dentistry.  At about the same point, a friend from high school and fellow university Shakespeare student opened office here as a dentist.  I could never figure out how he aced both science and English?!  Incidentally, I think we did poorly on our Hamlet presentation as the Freudian psychoanalysis of Hamlet was simply too funny.  Not a good thing for a tragedy. 

 I digress, he is now my dentist.  I went to school with some of his office staff as well.

I therefore no longer see a dentist.  I see a friend who happens to know dentistry.  Very different I must say.  The man has already seen me clothes line myself on a chain fence while playing tackle Frisbee with him and other members of “Mr. Keating’s class.  He has seen me barf with migraine when he took me to the hospital rather than Shakespeare class (actually, after having been treated with ERGOTAMINE- crikey -we went and caught the last hour).

In short, I have looked stupid in front of him before, so I feel comfortable looking stupid again.  Having dental work done has never been so easy.

Here are a few photos taken by myself and his lovely CDA.  What fun.

Enjoy…

Yup, still goofy after 15 years...

My gentle and funny photographer...

A great way to shut me up...

I rock...

I think I am a member of ZZ Top

Or Green Beard Maybe...

Ha!

Shrimpy