Your Teeth

You have to be a dentist or sitting in a dentist’s office to write about teeth. I’m doing the latter, trying very hard to concentrate on dental thoughts because this office, which has always been quiet and nice and quaint, is blaring (ok, that’s a hyperbole) news about the upcoming Vice Presidential debate.

So I am trying to think teeth as my bicameral brain has to listen to a political season which has my stomach tied in knots (a very cliched expression, but if it could happen I bet it would do very, very bad things to your digestive system.)

But back to teeth. They really are very important on your face and I seem to be spending a lot of time and money lately keeping them happy.

Which brings me to Public Service Announcements on health. I don’t see many. In fact, I don’t see any, lately. All I see are prescription drug commercials and I’m not talking about generic, cheap drug commercials, but ads for expensive drugs because, as the ads tell you, they’re worth the price because YOU’RE worth the price.

Just what that price is they never tell you. Perhaps because chemically we’re pretty cheap - it used to be about 99 cents. But you know you’re worth it because don’t all the other commercials tell you that you’re worth that car, that vacation, that....whatever your little heart desires.

So why bother with Public Service Health Announcements like Don’t Smoke or Watch Your Diet; they’re such downers. It doesn’t make much sense to remind people “everything in moderation” when we know we all deserve the excesses.

But back to teeth again. I don’t ever remember seeing a Public Heath Announcement on them - ever. Which is really sad since they’re going to be with us a very long time.

Possibly dentists still go into schools for dental health awareness. But once you get out of school, it’s free taffy for everyone. Why? Because you’re worth it.