This is a must-read if you have teeth, vote Democratic, Republican or Independent, have a few patriotic bones and a couple minutes to reflect, grin, wonder and grimace all the while your mind is telling you about decisions made and not-made. You really need to read and reflect on how this short story concludes. Story has an alternate ending - so stay tuned.
“What do you want to be when you grow up little boy?” It was a standard adult type question while speaking to a youngish southern born wide-eyed youth. Art Linkletter once had a TV show titled something along the lines as ‘…out of the mouths of babies…’ so asking an innocent question of little Frankie could have interesting responses. Today, young Frankie said in all honesty, “…anything but a dentist…”
Young Frank is your typical grammar-school aged boy but has been asked the same thoughtless question so many times he now has pat responses - mostly. Depending on what holiday it is or who was asking and the time of day, he told me he could remember thinking when he was four going on nine that when he grew up he wanted to be a fireman, or a policeman, an engineer, fly navy jets, be an astronaut, a soldier, THE President, a pimp, most anything but never a dentist … “What did I know, I was just a kid” he would say if asked. He didn’t have a clue about the world other then what the TV, Google, his iPod, blackberry and game-boy told him.
Frankie’s father was a dentist as was his father before him. Dentistry in his family actually goes back to where anesthetic was half a bottle of Jim Beam (rot-gut) and forceps that doubled for shoeing horses or ice skates (did you see the movie “Cast Away”?) Dentists in the immediate family were well respected community figures, God-fearing and church-going Protestants and very good dentists. Their patients loved them and they made a good living. His dad loved his work, “…his passion…” he would say and always with a glean in his eye with the right side of his lips slightly curled. The sedimentary, home, uneventful, routine life was good for him, but he worried about little Frank. Father and son had the normal ‘birds-n-bees’ conversations but he never pushed young Frank into following his business and he never tried to talk him out of dropping out of school or joining the military. The few times he did try talking about dentistry young Frankie’s standard response was a screwed up face, top teeth bared, both hands extended palms pointed outward and a very wet and emphatic “Yuk”.
Frank told me just yesterday, he wished his dad would have tried harder.
Frank is now in the military fighting in an unpopular war and at ten minutes past high noon today he is having serious second-thoughts about not becoming a dentist.
Have you even been in 120 degree heat? Have you even been in a desert or any desolate area of earth that God forgot? If no to these questions, picture yourself in a country named Iraq then picture yourself as a non-commissioned officer (a sergeant) sitting on the side of a folding cot, flies the size of small sparrows sitting on your mess gear, sand everywhere, a family of scorpions living in you spare boots, the wind directions has shifted and is coming from the latrines and the drums have not been burned today. If this is difficult to imagine, the next time you are visiting great-grandparents in any southern hilly state, when you use the “out-house” stick your head in hole number one and take a deep sniff – that is the same for Frank right now. The air in the tent is heavy also with sulfur and there is a knot in your gut.
You are now inside Frank’s twenty-year old head;
“Getting ready for our daily patrol of the northern sector of Baghdad I sometimes reminisce about my dad and move along through my favorite list of ‘what-ifs”. What if I had listened to him, what-if mom had not died giving me life, what-if I had not been so stubborn and thinking I wanted more out of life then working in peoples mouths. I remember having to go to dad’s office after school hours to wait until he finished the last patient of the day so we could have dinner together or just quality time. We never did have ‘quality-time’ but different patients in the waiting room would always offer lots of free advice and help on home-work assignments. It wasn’t until I was in the fourth grade then my homework got too difficult for the grown-ups that I had to do my own work.
Always go over your check-list: Rucksack with extra water and MREs, grenades, MM40 with extras rounds, CBR protective mask (just in case) and the most comfortable combat boots ever designed. I was almost ready. I had to field-strip my M-16 and clean it before this patrol because yesterday evening I was too bone-tired from an all day fire-fight with insurgents so I just had an MRE (meals ready to eat) and passed-out on my cot till almost 0400 hrs. I remember my dad telling me he could clean and polish a full set of teeth in ten minutes. I use to take that long to get all the sand and carbon from the working parts of my old SAW (fancy military acronyms for a rifle with lots of fire-power) but during this combat tour I can now field-strip the weapon, clean it and have a fresh round chambered in less then two minutes. For my back-up 40MM I can do the same. Did I mention that two-minutes is blindfolded or in a black-out condition. The first two months of this tour I have lost three good friends from my infantry squad… and I personally have more then a dozen accredited kills, but that’s another story.
Many days I lay awake too tried and exhausted to sleep so I normally reflect what it would have been like to have grown up and spend all my working days in others peoples mouths? Right now at high-noon in this blistering heat, that prospect sounds inviting.
“Frank, saddle-up, we leave in two minutes.” The voice coming thought the tent flap belonged to Betty Sue. Combat units do not allow ‘girls’ to actually carry offensive weapons and do any actual ‘fighting’ but they are allowed into combat areas. Betty Sue was our Hummer driver. Guys go for weeks between individual washings and your nose can tell you ‘ripe’ from ‘riper’ but Betty Sue is different. She is in the same living conditions as the guys but she always smells ‘good’ like a lady, even through dust, dirt, IEDs, suicide bombers and bullets she looked like the all-American-girl-next-door with a blond pony-tail neatly tucked under a Kevlar helmet, BDU uniform buttoned at the neck, sleeves rolled up just a bit above the elbows, flak-jacket snugly tied over ample breast and a smile minted by the Gods. Just last week Betty Sue was awarded the Silver Star for bravery “…above and beyond the call of duty”. Enough about her, this story is about Frank and dentistry.
“What is Dentistry? Wonder why I stayed away from it? I wish…. I wish… damn.”
As Frank packed and cleaned his gear his brain was on full alert, thinking, remembering and wishing.
As a youth Frank remembered many talks with his dad about ‘the after life’, ‘heaven’ ‘hell’, ‘purgatory’, ‘fire & brimstone’ and ‘Predestination”. That was the one that always seem to stay in the back of his mind and sometimes he felt he only had a measured number of days here on Earth. Every time Frank would see or hear of an extraordinary event and the person survived Frank just figured “…it was not their time…” and on the other side of that predestination coin a person could step on a crack in a sidewalk and be killed in a drive-by shooting “…it was their time…”
To most people dentistry means teeth, which, of course, it is – but don’t forget that teeth are attached to people’s mouths, which in turn are parts of actual living bodies. Although teeth may not seem a priority in the great scheme of things, their health and appearance can greatly influence people’s lives. Apart from helping us to eat our food, our teeth and our smile can greatly influence other people’s judgment of us, whilst extreme toothache can be extremely debilitating for the sufferer. Being a dentist nowadays involves an awful lot more than just doing fillings and scaling teeth. Dentistry is really a major branch of medicine.
“While I’m thinking about teeth I need to pass along the essence of a History Channel TV program I saw just before deploying to the Near East. Today we take life around us as routine, commonplace and natural like for example, tooth paste & mouth wash. The producers of this History Channel show knew how to hold my attention because I had seen their shows on the building of the Hoover Dam, the Harley motorcycle, where money came from and how it is made, how “things” work, etc… so when they started talking about teeth, I figured they had something I needed to know.
Ever wonder where toothpaste and mouthwash came from? Have you ever thought about what people used for toothpaste before the invention of Crest, Colgate or Aquafresh?
If you are squeamish please skip the following three paragraphs:
Presented in HDTV and in full color a narrator was saying, “Our mouth contains one or more of 500 types of microorganisms. Some of these, mainly streptococcus mutans, create sticky plaque from food residue in your mouth. Microorganisms in our mouth feed on left over food to create acid and particles called volatile sulfur molecules. The acid eats into tooth enamel to produce cavities while volatile sulfur molecules give breath its foul odor. Toothpaste works with toothbrush to clean teeth and fight plaque bacteria. Toothpaste contains abrasives which physically scrub away plaque. In addition, toothpaste abrasives help remove food stains from teeth and polish tooth surfaces. Some toothpaste contains ingredients which chemically hinder the growth of plaque bacteria. These include ingredients like natural Xylitol and artificial triclosan. Phew…”
I can’t believe I said that all in one breathe.
Maybe I’m just getting warmed up. Remembering the show… the narration continued with “…the activity of keeping the mouth clean dates all the way back to the religious figure Buddha. It has been recorded that he would use a "tooth stick" from the God Sakka as part of his personal hygiene regimen. In 23 - 79 AD the practice of oral hygiene included: Drinking goats’ milk for sweet breath, ashes from burnt mice heads, rabbit’s heads, wolves’ heads, ox heels and goats feet were thought to benefit the gums. Picking the bones out of wolves’ excrement and wearing them (maybe in the form of a necklace?) was considered to be a form of protection against toothaches. Washing your teeth with the blood from a tortoise three times a year was a sure bet against toothaches as well. Mouthwashes were known to consist of pure white wine, or (get ready for this one) old urine kept especially for this purpose. Urine is basically ammonia and ammonia is a cleaning agent. I can hear it now, ‘…Alice have you peed this morning, I need to gargle…?’”
My eyes are dimming and I’m cold, why in the world am I letting my mind wonder… I need to concentrate but I can’t seem to hang onto any one subject for more then a second.
Four letter words are used in our world to convey orders/direction, expression of hate, love frustration and attitude. Most civilianized countries can and do use their full compliment of words and expressions, and that’s good. However - there in ONE four-letter word that is FORBIDDEN to the dentist. Dentist must NEVER utter the word ‘Oops’ when in a patients mouth.
Career wise, dentists have many options open to them. They can work in general practice, both for the government or privately, in the community or in the forces, at home or overseas. As well as becoming a general dental practitioner, all sorts of other openings are on offer, from oral and maxillofacial surgery to orthodontics; from children’s dentistry to prosthodontics (that’s implants, false teeth, etc). You could specialize in periodontology (gum disease), restorative dentistry (fillings, crowns and bridges) – or become a lecturer and researcher in any of these. (Those that can – do… and those that can’t – teach) Oral pathology is another possibility: analyzing lumps bumps and so on for cancers and other diseases. Dentistry can also be a flexible career for those wishing to take time out, to work irregular days or hours, or for those who wish to work in more than one location.
Pay is not that bad. You might not become another Bill Gates but $140k plus isn’t that bad for 50-60 hours a week. Sure beats the hell out of $24k a year a GI receives for shooting bad-guys.
Would I have enjoyed Dentistry? Maybe, maybe not. My dad once told me if I became a dentist and if I ever tired of bad breath and smoking teeth I could run for president. It’s Just a thought anyway as I’m pretty sure it’s too late for me now.
My mind keeps going back to better times, civilian times, times when I didn’t have to kill. I remember thinking once as I sat in a dentist chair admiring a pictures on the facing wall of a cat hanging by its nails captioned “Hang in there baby” that civilian dentists are different then their military counterpart. I once had a civilian root channel and crown in the States and other then being a bit sore for three days afterward the experience wasn’t that bad. Kay, Dr O (real name is difficult to pronounce) and I had an interesting two hours; I was in a horizontal position, Kay was handing Dr. O “stuff” as he asked for them and she kept busy with a vacuum the size of a hollow pencil as she kept my mouth clear of debris. Dr. O and Kay worked well together. Not once did I hear him mutter the unmentionable word. My military experiences with dentist for the same procedure went something like: “This may sting a bit” as he put a liter of nova cane into the roof of my mouth with a two-inch needle as big around as a soda straw, then filled my mouth with a rubber blanket “thing” and told me to breathe thought my nose. Not sure about other people but I gag at the slightest thought of anything other then food in my mouth. The rubber blanket was kinda attached to teeth not being used. I tried taking my mind off the burning smells of tooth enamel and flesh and flying chips from a tooth “being repaired” by playing with the rubber with my tongue. In dozens of dentist visits I have never learned where and what to do with my tongue as they drilled poked and surveyed my mouth with that tiny bent mirror on a stick.
Dr. O was different. He deadened the area where he was to give me a few (4) shots of Lidocaine. He wore a “D” powered head lamp to better see the dark crevices of my mouth as he went fishing for a nerve. I have always marveled at the finger dexterity dentists and the young ladies that clean my teeth. They have all mastered the art of these curved and pointy “picks” all moving in conjunction with that tiny crooked mirror on a stick.
Two main differences between a military and civilian dentist for a “crown” are:
Cost - Military = 0$, Civilian = $1,500 (before insurance) I use to think the reason they wear masks was the same reason as a highway robber but it is just to protect them from our bad breath. Actually for what they do, the equipment used and the experienced needed they are mostly underpaid.
Pain - Military = Plenty vs. Civilian = None
Did you even see the movie, “Joe and the volcano” with Tom Hanks? He had a “Brain Cloud”. Right now I feel the same but the sunny side of the brain is still thinking “What-ifs”.
For example, oral and dental health is a very important part of general health. The ability to smile, eat and talk without pain, discomfort or embarrassment contributes greatly to a sense of well being. Dentists are health care professionals who are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of a range of problems that affect the mouth and teeth. This demands diagnostic, clinical and social skills. Some dentists will become teachers or lecturers in dental schools, others will be employed in hospitals, or community clinics but most will become general dental practitioners. Often, they will be managing a team of people encompassing dental nurses, hygienists, receptionists and others so good administrative and managerial abilities are needed. It’s not being a philanthropist but it ain’t a bad living either.
Significant Points; not all dentist play golf on Wednesdays; drive expensive foreign cars and retire with golden umbrellas. Dentists are fellow normal humans like you or I that have paid their dues by completing at least 8 years of education beyond high school (I was lucky to make just 4).
I found this tidbit of information on the Internet that bears repeating; “Dentists use a variety of equipment, including x-ray machines; drills; and instruments such as mouth mirrors, probes, forceps, brushes, and scalpels. They wear masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect themselves and their patients from infectious diseases.” And “Most dentists are general practitioners, handling a variety of dental needs. Other dentists practice in any of nine specialty areas. Orthodontists, the largest group of specialists, straighten teeth by applying pressure to the teeth with braces or retainers. The next largest group, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, operates on the mouth and jaws. The remainder may specialize as pediatric dentists (focusing on dentistry for children); periodontists (treating gums and bone supporting the teeth); prosthodontists (replacing missing teeth with permanent fixtures, such as crowns and bridges, or with removable fixtures such as dentures); endodontists (performing root canal therapy); public health dentists (promoting good dental health and preventing dental diseases within the community); oral pathologists (studying oral diseases); or oral and maxillofacial radiologists (diagnosing diseases in the head and neck through the use of imaging technologies).”
No pun intended but even thinking that was a mouth-full.
I’m getting colder and the mid-day sun seems to be dimming. I’m hearing strange sounds from deep inside me now. I’m cold but not afraid. If I could have my “druthers”, right now I wish I had followed my Dad in being a dentist. I should have stayed in school…now as the sun is just past 12 O’clock high I could be working in an air-conditioned building in a mouth full of rotten teeth rather then laying in a pool of my own blood dying in 120 degree blistering heat on a dusty road in Baghdad Iraq.”
The roadside explosion (IED) left most of Betty Sue laying next to me in her own pool as her dying body pumps her life’s blood onto the sand from a gapping hole in her face where her jaw and teeth use to be.
I should have been a dentist but maybe it was not to be and this was my time.
ALTERNATE ENDING:
Frank is a hero in Iraq coming home to parades, has a chest full of ribbons, goes back to school, he and Betty Sue are married, have children and he is happy in his dentistry practice.
Just as life during the pandemic was color-coded with different hues representing different levels of danger, life in its aftermath has become shaded in similar ways. As a self-styled “Seeker of Beauty with Beauty,” (borrowing from a quote by W.E.B.
