Going by the Chinese calendar, the Year of the Rabbit gave way to the Year of the Dragon in late January. (I missed the festivities in Vancouver’s Chinatown this time). Going by my personal calendar, it was the Year of the Dentist that just ended!
Two continents and six dentists in less than six months – you could say things have been a little unquiet on the dental front. Good thing then, that I’m quite comfortable around dentists and their clinics, having been acquainted with both from a fairly early age.
Among the more memorable ones was the tiny place run by an elderly dentist in London. It wasn’t terribly modern, even by the standards of the mid 1970’s. By way of distraction, the dentist provided a guided tour of London, using the aerial view photograph of the city that was affixed to the ceiling as a map. Things got a lot more exciting when you factored in the nitrous oxide that was used as an anesthetic! Fillings in place, he would send us our merry ways with a handful of very English boiled sweets and a reminder to brush regularly.
Things have progressed, and the dentists’ clinics I frequent now usually come with all kind of bells and whistles, including flat screen TVs mounted on the ceiling for your entertainment whilst the dentist works. I notice the default setting seems to be the Food Channel.
There’s no better time to take stock of just how much your ability to enjoy food depends on the state of your teeth, than when that ominous pounding in your jaw drowns out everything but the need to find and swallow some antibiotics.
Funnily enough, the last three dentists I’ve visited have all been very interested in talking about food. In the interludes between the case histories being consulted, moulds being cast, and numbing painkillers coming into effect, is a window of opportunity for a chat.
The dentist from Kerala had recently spent a holiday with friends in Coorg and laughed about how it seemed to be one endless session of eating and drinking. He notes similarities and differences between his native cuisine and mine.
With the dentist with connections to Trinidad, I discussed the merits of various hot peppers and of truly tart Trini and Indian tamarind versus the sweeter Thai variety. Of course the effects of too much tamarind on the teeth also came up. He gave me the name of a store where I’d find tamarind from Trinidad. He’d been to Kerala and couldn’t say enough about the wonderful seafood there.
Follow-up treatment was with another doctor who has a Kenyan connection and a love of Starbucks coffee. While she and her able assistant worked on my teeth, I lay back, listening to them discuss the delicious smells from a particular bakery and its specialty donuts. I wonder if they noticed I was calling for the saliva suction device rather frequently. The assistant is originally from Iran, and I make a mental note to ask her if she knows what happened to our favourite Persian deli that closed suddenly. This clinic happens to look out over the kitchen and restaurant of a swank hotel, and in the breaks between treatment, I can look in on the frenzy of chopping, stirring and plating that’s going on next door.
It’s a little awkward when the conversation becomes one sided, with the doctors carrying on their end of the conversations while I’m reduced to nodding, blinking and “ahahing” through rubber blocks propping my jaws apart.
Still, the banter is a pleasant distraction and a reminder to be grateful for advances in dentistry. In my grandparents’ time, extraction, usually painful, was the only way to go. A glass of water on the bedside table, with grinning dentures in it was a common enough sight in many homes (providing much amusement to us silly children).
So, with that in mind, and the prospect of more good eats to be enjoyed in the future,
I’m making my next appointment with the dentist. Rabbit or dragon, I know the drill.
The dentist in London gave you sweets :-)? What a doll. Hope the agony of the dental work is all done with and you can eat to your heart’s content . That sounded like a lot of work that wen on in there 🙁 . have seen the strongest studs break out into cold sweat stepping into the Dentist’s clinic . By now you should be armed to the teeth with pots and pans and ingredients and the trusty camera again . Looking forward to another creation to drool over . HA HA HA the dentures , I recall my kids buying a set each from one those fancy , new fangled candy stores , it provided them with so much glee. Have you watched , “Today’s Special ” , a friend recommended it , must check flipkart to see if they have it .
Hi Jyoti,
Yes, all gnashers back in working order, thanks – it’s been quite a run, I tell ya! Remind me to tell you sometime about some of the encounters that didn’t end too well 😉
As for that jolly old dentist, I’m sure he never retired, what with all those enthusiastic patients beating a path to his door.
Bring back nitrous oxide!!
Haven’t seen “Today’s Special” but found some on youtube. It looks charming, and it’s Canadian, eh?!
Pots and pans scrubbed and ready, trusty camera needs some dusting.I promise to be back to posting again soon 🙂
edit: Doh! looks like you meant the film, not the series!:-)
A very well written one and i loved the way you connected dentistry and foods! The gap times between various procedures does help build a rapport and it does improve your personal and professional relationships. Talking about foods, kids sometimes love coming to the dentist as the dentist recommends an ice cream after taking out the tooth! Sometimes they are so angry with the dentist for taking off the tooth, but they are all smiles when they hear the words, “Please get him/her an ice cream!” 🙂
Thank you , Lirish! I can imagine dealing with kids is a delicate task, and the promise of ice cream will go a long way towards soothing a nervous patient. That said, some of the biggest tantrums I’ve witnessed have been thrown by adults! I think I’ve spent enough time at dentists’ clinics to be eminently qualified to say “99 % of patients recommend ice cream.”:-)
Just two days ago, I was in a long line up for the cashier at a local store, when a store employee startled us all by walking briskly down the line with a bowl of candy, saying “Please take some – help support your local dentist.” It took a few seconds to realize that it wasn’t a fundraising effort, and that she was just keeping the crowd amused and energy levels up with a bit of sugar!