to the quick

Teeth are not bones. Despite being a common part of the skulls you’ve seen, bones can mend, and teeth cannot. Why? I wondered as I sat down to write about my most recent dental adventure. Yes, in my summer of first world problems, after a lovely weekend float trip, peacefully drifting down the Meramec River […]

The Charm

To keep “4” (that’s what they call him) in my mouth, we have taken extraordinary measures. He’s had his roots dug out and refilled twice, then he got sliced into from the side. If I had taken 4 to my vet, he would now be buried in a box in my grandmother’s backyard. Partly because […]

Mother Courage

Setting: An oral surgeon’s office in the second-wealthiest county in the United States. On one wall are paintings of pitchers and bottles. On another, a huge ugly abstract painting with a black frame. In front of the black-framed picture sits a woman, 32, with blonde hair and dark roots, and dirty black patent-leather shoes. She […]