Open Wide

My sixth dentist in four years
The first one botched a crown,
then wanted to put a filling in
the jaw where the bone had eroded
I didn’t let him but
now I have a 9mm pocket…

The second did help me.
In the second opinion,
he identified my cross-bite.
You need braces, he said,
to save that tooth.
After being tortured
by his hygienist with the
damned Ultrasound thingy
He examined my teeth
through my new braces
and said: Well, you’ll probably
lose that tooth anyway
but at least your teeth will be straight.
Thanks, Bud…

The third, the periodontist,
was great. After looking at my mouth,
he said: You have a very weird bite.
(Really, that’s exactly what he said)
Get that fixed or anything I would do
won’t last…

The fourth, my orthodontist, is a great guy.
Eighteen months of braces
while listening to me whine,
Then Invisaligns, which I’m still wearing.
My teeth are aligning and it’s a great
weight management program to boot.
He’s been with me through all of this
And I am grateful.
The pocket hasn’t gotten worse,
maybe it’s a little better,
and I still have my tooth…

The fifth was my most recent
general dentist. I didn’t see her much
except for an exam where she
always said: You’re stable.
Hmmm, stable.
I guess that’s better than not.
The thing is, she had her hygienist
do so many superfluous tests on me
that she never had time to actually
clean my teeth, except with the
ultrasound thingy – which now
kills me because my teeth are sensitive
from the braces – even when I begged
her not to…

So why did I go four times?
Maybe loyalty, but mostly inertia.
The thought of going through
interviewing and trying another dentist
and telling my story one more time
is just plain daunting.
But I would never treat my own patients
the way I’ve been treated there…

So here I go again.
I see number six today.
Maybe today is different
Maybe this new guy will listen
Maybe he’ll treat me with respect
and just maybe he’ll be a very good dentist…