Dentists

I've managed to go most of my life without major dental work.

When I was in primary school I fell over and snapped off my front tooth, which was repaired once the swelling went down (I managed to completely bust open my whole mouth.  About twenty years later, I would fall over in almost the exact same spot and completely bust open my forehead - what can I say?  I have talent.)  I've had to have the repair work repaired a few times over the years, but that was about it...

...until now.

Now, suddenly, I've had a tooth practically explode (turns out I didn't have something stuck between my teeth - it was a tooth disintegrating and getting jammed into my gums) and my dentist has identified other teeth that could do with filling.  I made it to 32 without having a single filling, but I'll have three of them before I hit 33.

Dentists surgeries are not comfortable places to be, and dentists do things to your mouth that seem rather unnatural, really.  All those devices doing abrasive things to your gum lines...  It just feels like something that shouldn't really happen.  I have to fight the urge to ask "are you sure you should be doing this?"  Mind you, seeing as there are several things in my mouth at the time, I would have difficulty saying it anyway.

I wonder about dentists.  I wonder if the people assisting them (assistants? technicians? nurses?) are career spit-suctioners or if they go on to become dentists themselves (or avoid doing anything with teeth for the rest of their lives).  I wonder if dentists do the dental work on their own staff, or if that would be weird.  I wonder if dentists can kiss without mentally noting the condition of the other person's oral health.  I wonder what dentists think about when they go to the dentist - and how they pick which dentist to go to.  I wonder if they do all the things they know they should do to take care of their teeth.

Mostly, though, I wonder if I can avoid getting any more dental work for a few years...