Baby Teeth

This picture was taken in a photo booth at Jantzen Beach Center in 1968. My brother Steve mugging and probably some grab-ass going on spurred my wide grin, and in the first place, I was never bashful about missing both incisors. A badge of honor, a rite of passage and evidence that I was no longer a "kid" with baby teeth was ok with me. Seems like there were offers of help to "yank" them out but I was too afraid of the pain to accept any assistance. When the second incisor fell out I insisted on a picture to mark the occasion. My mom was confused at my insistence but in my mind, I was quickly becoming a "big kid" and would very soon be less obliged to follow arbitrary rules that seemed designed to make me less happy.  

Fast forward to 1972 and big teeth and slight crowding on the top row gave me a toothy smile. Fortunately, my head kept growing so now, with less hair my forehead is much more prominent than the slightly misaligned incisors.

In college, my dad insisted I avoid the pain he went through by waiting to take out the wisdom teeth. This was back in the nitrous oxide and Percodan days, so a smooth procedure and a very short recovery left me wondering what the big deal was.

In my 30's I was told by the dentist that my brushing was too vigorous and it was causing my gums to recede. Well, that's a fine how do you do. Even so, less vigorous brushing it is.

And here I am, a root canal, two crowns and lots of check-ups later being very thankful for healthy teeth and gums.  My dentist has advised me for several visits that I have a tooth with a fracture that will ultimately fail. I have indicated that I am willing to endure the failure rather than the preemptive repair. Time will tell how that strategy will play out.

Jantzen Beach Center