My genes

Here's something you won't often hear me say:

Thank you, mom and dad, for such good genes.

You see, a few weeks ago, I went to the dentist. Now, clearly, that isn't something that is overly amazing.. we all go to the dentist regularly every 6 months, right? Right? Well... for me it had been a little longer than that. Well.. ok... for me it had been alot longer than that.

I hadn't been to the dentist in 8 years.

I know.. I know... eww.. gross. But I brush alot, I swear. So Linda and I decided it was time to bite the bullet (no pun intended) and head on over to the ol' dentist. Our local dentist has a motto -- We Cater to Cowards -- that describes us to a tee. In fact, I was so nervous going in that I thought their motto said "We Cower to Caterers" which, if you think about it, makes some small semblance of sense for a dentist.

So, laying back on the dental chair I had to inform the poor woman about to clean my teeth that my pearly whites had not received professional attention for a very long time. I apologized profusely. I would have rather sent this woman to Iraq than my oral cavity.

But, then came the surprises. No blood from the teeth cleaning! My gums were, so to speak, in the pink. There was some plaque build-up but nothing that a good half hour with the sonic-thingy couldn't take care of. Then, the dreaded X-ray results where, I was sure, my teeth could be compared to the surface of the moon -- well cratered.

And, Lo and Behold, no cavities showed up on the X-ray. A few surface pits that should be filled in at some point, but no real cavities. Wow. As I left the dentist pushed toothbrushes and floss in my hands, looked me in the eye, and said "you are the luckiest patient I've ever seen. Your teeth have an incredible resistence to cavities."

So, slightly cleaner of mouth, I drove home thinking something I had not thought in quite some time: Thanks for all the good teeth genes!

-Ed