Open Wide...

I visited the dentist last week.
It’s not something you mark in red on
the calendar, like maybe, a trip to
Disney World or the Bahamas.

A full set of xrays were taken--I felt more
exposed than a stripper without her tassels…
“Mmm, 22&23,19," the hygienist said to
her assistant. Lotto numbers? No such luck…

After poking and prodding, Odalia, the
hygienist, said, "Nancy, not bad at all--you
have two cracked teeth.
You'll need two half-crowns.”
Blimey...

So, I’m pondering, how did I get two
cracked teeth? What was I eating--
Jawbreakers, or one-month old French bread?
Couldn’t have been the over- roasted chicken…

The receptionist handed me a description of
the proposed work: 2 porcelain crowns,
one small filling: $1988.

Holy cannoli! Where does the porcelain
come from--the Queen’s Royal cabinet?
$1988 is equivalent to a high end digital SLR
with two lenses, or an exhilarating Caribbean cruise.

I’m thinking, as I leave the cold office and
step out into the midday oven, What if I
hadn’t taken care of my teeth?

Tom might have left me for that stripper,
and I'd be gumming and thumbing
along Route 10...