teeth

I just went to the dentist and it made me sad. Don't get me wrong, needing a crown, a filing replaced and a new filing made definitely caused me to feel like my mouth might be comparable to Martin Amis's. And, yes, that was a bit disheartening. But the really sad thing is that my dentist retired (due to ongoing back problems) and has been replaced with a new uper-competent woman. There's nothing not to like about the new dentist. She was friendly, liked the title of the book I was reading (White Teeth, I know it seems like a joke that I would bring that to the dentist but I'm smack dab in the middle of it) and was lightning quick to work with me on any payment plan I might need to cover the expenses hemorrhaging from my mouth. No, the problem was that she's redecorated the place. Now my former dentist was in no way a bang up interior designer. His proclivity was to maximize the space of the place by packing as much crap as was possible to fit in it. The waiting area had at least 3 years worth of magazines, and you never have to even wait all that long there. The hallway wall was festooned with various diplomas and awards he had received in his career. The far room, where you got in depth work on your teeth, had professional portraits of him with his dogs. There was an honorary portrait of a cancer stricken dog, now deceased. And, my personal favorite, one of him on a motorcycle with one of his dogs in the sidecar and for some bizarre branding reason, 'Pupperoni Pizza' in a corner, what pizza snacks for canines has to do with motorcycles and sidecars I'm sure I don't know, maybe because I have two cats this photo passion with pets escapes me. But I loved the way his dental practice looked. The fact that it was such a cluttered mess and sort of reminded me of the benign chaos in some establishments I've worked at, people I know, Indian restaurants I love to eat at. There's something wonderful about the so not caring what the interior decoration rules are. And he had a massive wheel that you could spin if you recommended a new patient to the practice and you could win cool stuff, like a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble for $10. The new dentist has made things completely tasteful. The new waiting area has a cork floor with blue leather chairs and actually interesting small paintings of Pittsburgh. The hallway is clear of any clutter and was painted a pale neutral-ish yellow. The dental rooms no longer have tons of crap posted to the walls. I totally get why she did this. If I were her it was the first thing I would have done. But it makes me sad. All the front staff and hygienists wear the same ensemble of black pants and dark grey lab coats, nipped in at the waist. Even the dentist wears the same uniform. I just miss the clashing scrub tops, items I will never ever wear as a nurse but I secretly celebrate that lovely tackiness. Most of the staff stayed but one hygienist left, I think it was the one that dubbed herself 'the small fry' and had her room pretty much wallpapered in newspaper and magazine cutouts referring to small fry related stuff, like 'small is the next big'. I'll keep going to this new dentist, unlike my ex who was really rubbed the wrong way by her, but I so miss my old dentist, the eccentric Dr. Melnick. I can always keep my fingers crossed that he has some great recovery with his back issues and misses practicing dentistry so much he comes out of retirement. Here's hoping.