True confession, I plagiarized that blog post title. I totally stole it from my dentist, who happens to be a writer. Yes, you read that right, my oral health practitioner is a writer. My tooth doctor blogs. My cavity healer tells stories.
"I didn't know you had a dentist," you might be saying.
Valid point. Before noon today, I didn't. So you can imagine how relieved I was when Dr. Snavely told me that his office is not a judgemental one. He assured me of unconditional acceptance after I told him it's been a while since I'd last been to the dentist. (Six or 15 years, however you want to count it.) It was a relief to know that I wouldn't be reprimanded for my sinful oral health behavior. Seriously.
And then Dr. Snavely invited me to wear dark sunglasses. That's the part I liked the most. Those shades protected my eyes from the florescent lights while looking straight up to the ceiling during the exam. But they also protected my dignity in light of such pathetic preventative dental history. I could write a whole meditation on my personal dental life story, but we'll save that for later. (Or you could chat with my mom). The dark glasses kind of covered it all up, at least metaphorically. Or at least they helped me relax.
It has been six years (or 15 however you count it) since I'd last seen a dentist before today, and dang, things have changed. Not only was Dr. Snavely kind, gentle, and non judgemental -- he was all high tech. He has this camera on the end of a stick that shows images on a computer screen right in front of you. So as he describes the condition of each tooth and surrounding maladies, you can see it live on the screen. It is an information geek's dental daydream: to observe the inside of your mouth in live time with dynamic commentary by a trained expert who can explain the status of your inner mouth in terms you can understand.
You're right, I don't have a dentist. I have a decay whisperer.
Which brings me back to the issue of plagiarism. You see, Dr. Snavely not only practises dentistry, he also writes about it. Like all writers, he seeks to understand it, to explore it, to share it. Today I ran across a piece whereby he mentions a couple teeth whitening methods in a post called, "Is that the sun or is it your smile?" (Title, here.) How could I not steal that blog post title? How could you not want a dentist who would write that? Plus, I seriously didn't know that teeth whitening was available to regular folk like me but now that I am dental empowered, I'm thinking about it. I'd like to have sparkly white teeth.
All this to say, if you're in Greater Des Moines and looking for a dentist. I have a recommendation. Check it out: http://www.snavelyfamilydentistry.com/2011/05/is-that-the-sun-or-is-it-your-smile/
Thanks for coming over to the Charmer Blog.
Cheers, T
