You Never Know ...

As I was driving to my dentist appointment this morning, I had 'nothing' little thoughts going through my head ...

My Dentist and I go back a lot of years. He walked me through the stages and phases of crowning my molars.

Dentists had been advising me to get crowns for as long as I had dental insurance, but it wasn't until my teeth started breaking down on me (fillings were falling out and pieces of my molars were breaking off at an alarmingly frequent basis) in my 40's and I was new in my daycare career (without dental insurance), that I finally realized that if I didn't repair my teeth in a more permanent fashion, my nightmares of spitting out all of my teeth would eventually come true.

I found myself in the good hands of My Dentist at that pivotal point in my life. I asked his advice and he suggested that we start working on one quarter of my mouth per year. He chose the plan of action and I just showed up for my appointments.

When it came time to bill me, I found that my bill was far less than originally anticipated. He took my financial situation and lack of insurance into account and made this dental work financially feasible. I thought he was nice before ... but this extra bonus was above and beyond what I could have ever hoped for.

Over the course of the following years, we finally completed our mission. All four corners of my mouth are crowned and I am not dreaming about losing all of my teeth any more. Now, at my annual checkups, whenever the dental assistant asks me if I have any problems or concerns at the onset of my appointment, I smile and say "No ... not a thing, now that I have my crowns!"

Last year at the end of my appointment, I remember making a point to tell My Dentist how elated I was to be able to say that I have absolutely no problems with my teeth - thanks to him fixing me up all of those years ago.

This morning, I was thinking of other things en route to my appointment.

It was some time after my crowning experiences, that I needed a Notary Public to sign a form so I could get a passport. I thought after all of the time My Dentist spent working with me, that he may feel like he knew me well enough to sign this document. Afterwards, I felt badly because I remembered that he had made my dental work financially feasible due to my circumstances and here I was getting a passport.

In reality, I was getting a passport only because I had a credit which would expire with an airline and if some last minute holiday opportunity arose I would need a passport. I never did go on a holiday and my passport has sat idle for the (almost) four years that I have had it.

I will soon be utilizing that passport for the very first time, as I embark on my Alaskan Cruise. I had often heard My Dentist talk about the various holiday destinations that he had recently been on. So I was thinking that (even though he most likely had no memory of ever signing my passport documents) he may appreciate hearing of my holiday plans.

Yes, I had a small sense of happiness as I drove off to my appointment this morning. Then when the dental hygienist told me the name of the dentist that would be helping me today (not My Dentist), I thought ... "they usually ask me when I book my appointment if I mind seeing a different dentist". Then she quickly followed up that statement with "You probably don't know ... but Your Dentist passed away last fall".

He was overseas on a holiday, when he suffered a massive heart attack. He was 53 years old, he has two children, his wife was with him when it happened. He had no history of heart problems. This was completely unexpected and devastating to all that knew him.

We talked at length about My Dentist after that. When I was quiet with my thoughts afterwards, I couldn't help but be happy that I took that extra moment to let him know how much I appreciated what he had done for me and my teeth the last time I had an appointment. He was 'just' doing his job, but I will be on the receiving end of his skill and dentistry magic for the better part of my life (he did forewarn me that crowns do have a life expectancy of about 15 years).

My Dentist will live on in many ways - least of all in the work that he did for his patients. He was just doing a job. And I have been grateful for my good, solid teeth for many years.

The little things we do for people live on forever. The little things we say to people live on as long as they remember.

It takes but a moment to offer the best we have to give of ourselves. To our family, our friends and neighbors, the clerk in the store, our customers, our co-workers ... and our dentist.

I'll never regret taking that extra moment to say 'thanks'. I'll be very sad when the day comes that someone has to repair one of those crowns.

My teeth are something I appreciated before today. They are something that I will appreciate long after today. The story that goes with my 'good teeth' is worth remembering.