Teeth

Without orthodontics, I would have had teeth growing out of the middle of my mouth. I can't remember how many baby teeth I had pulled, but it was a lot. I've also had eight permanent teeth removed, before I could get braces. Even with this, I loved going to the dentist.

There is something heavenly about having freshly, and professionally, cleaned teeth. This was instilled in me from an early age. Any Americans remember the Smile Van? I've explained this to people in other countries, having never thought about how odd it might sound. "All the children in a school, grade by grade, class by class, line up outside of the school and go one by one into a van where there are two people inside, and a sink. Then, they give you a red tablet to chew and check your teeth. They watch you brush your teeth again, and then send you back out after another inspection." It sounds Orwellian, but it was always fun! And, it did instill in my mind that there was always more to be cleaned--even when you thought the job was done, the red tabs always would show a few points for improvement. Going to the dentist for a cleaning was the surest way that this job would be done to perfection.

I haven't been to a dentist since I've moved to London.