I Hate Going to the Dentist
I was 8 1/2 and in 3rd grade. Pat Johnson and I were having some sort of quarrel. That's all I remember. I didn't know him well, we weren't friends but we were at odds. The third graders went out for noon recess. I remember this fat, and he was fat, kid watching me from the periphery of the playground. After about 5 minutes of recess time I was shoved from behind and wasn't expecting it. Might not have been a problem except our grade school playground was blacktop. I went face first, actually mouth first. I'd just gotten both adult front teeth that year. Disaster.
I remember next going to the teacher at the door wanting in. She wasn't having it but all I had to do was open my mouth. My two front teeth along with some at the bottom were chipped, badly. My mouth was bleeding. Without a word she let me in. I still remember her recoiling at my showing her mouth damaged mouth. From there all I remember is going to the office, my mom being called and going home. Don't remember much after that so lets fast forward about 4 days.
The playground, again. I do recall the dentist saying my mouth/teeth should be OK if "nothing else happened". It happened, well Sally happened. I was on the merry-go-round when Sally (funny I remember her name but nothing else about her), Sally's arm swung back and hit me square in the mouth. My left front tooth went flying. My mouth and shirt got bloodied quickly. Again, to the teacher at the door, who let me in. I proceeded to the office then to home. This was a late winter day and it started to snow. My mom took me to the dentist. He told us if we found the tooth which was laying somewhere on a snow covered blacktop playground full of grade school kids, if we found the tooth, he could/would reinsert it into my mouth. My mom and I made the pilgrimage to the snowy playground but, as expected, found nothing. We called it and went home in despair.
Later sitting at the kitchen table having dinner the phone rang. It was the dentist. Just so happened the best friend of the dentist's daughter mentioned to her that she'd found a tooth on the playground that afternoon. She had it with her. The daughter told her dad at dinner. Within the hour I was at the dentist really not knowing what to expect. Gordy (Dentist) basically jammed the tooth back into my mouth, encasing my entire top teeth in some type of plastic. I'd sat in the dentist chair for about 2 1/2 hours that night from approx 7 - 9:30. Got home exhausted and went to bed quite demoralized. Little did I know it was just the start.
For the next month I had my front teeth encased in the plastic cast. I could only eat soft foods or foods that had been blenderized. I was a growing boy but wasn't eating much for good reason. The best meal I can remember durning those 30 days was a steak dinner that got pulverized in the blender for me to eat. My life during that time sucked. My speech, due to the plastic, was slurred and muffled.
So I got the cast off. The tooth that had been out of my mouth for the better part of 7 hours eventually locked onto my top jar bone. In two years I took up playing the trombone in band. Things there were interesting. Likewise I got the old tinsel teeth metal braces. Trying having a dead tooth (it was dead as the nerve was dead) and metal braces and playing a brass instrument. Also I played baseball, basketball and football during that time period, all the while being scared to death anytime something, an elbow, ball or whatever got close to my mouth.
Eventually the tooth started to turn color. Again it was dead and being in a wet location didn't help any. It got pulled when I was about 14 or so. I wore a partial which covered the hole in the front of my mouth but could be taken out at night. Nothing permanent could be done until my mouth/teeth stopped growing. Try playing a trombone with no front tooth! Interestingly it came in handy when I pitched. My best friend played second base. Our pickoff play was my taking my partial so that my fake front tooth was showing but my mouth was fully closed. We got a lot of guys picked of 2nd base that way.
I got my first bridge the summer after I graduated HS, before college. I got my second about 7 years later. My parents sued the parent's of the kid that destroyed my mouth. They were only able to collect for what the dentist charged AT THE TIME, or less than $2,000. This was the 60's/70's. If this'd happened now it'd happen been well into 5 figures, perhaps 6 given pain and suffering present and future.
I found out that Pat Johnson, the kid that pushed me, died a few years ago in his 50's. He had his paternal twin brother took of their fathers septic tank service. That sucked out shit and then took it the the Sewerage Dist. Apt profession for them both in my mind. I kept playing the trombone, became a 4 year drum major for our HS. I also was part of the Wis Honors Band the summer of my Jr year in HS, won the John Phillips Sousa band award my Sr year. Went on to major in music on trombone. At nearly 62 I still play in 3 different band, at church and do the occasional musical, playing in the pit band.
I remember next going to the teacher at the door wanting in. She wasn't having it but all I had to do was open my mouth. My two front teeth along with some at the bottom were chipped, badly. My mouth was bleeding. Without a word she let me in. I still remember her recoiling at my showing her mouth damaged mouth. From there all I remember is going to the office, my mom being called and going home. Don't remember much after that so lets fast forward about 4 days.
The playground, again. I do recall the dentist saying my mouth/teeth should be OK if "nothing else happened". It happened, well Sally happened. I was on the merry-go-round when Sally (funny I remember her name but nothing else about her), Sally's arm swung back and hit me square in the mouth. My left front tooth went flying. My mouth and shirt got bloodied quickly. Again, to the teacher at the door, who let me in. I proceeded to the office then to home. This was a late winter day and it started to snow. My mom took me to the dentist. He told us if we found the tooth which was laying somewhere on a snow covered blacktop playground full of grade school kids, if we found the tooth, he could/would reinsert it into my mouth. My mom and I made the pilgrimage to the snowy playground but, as expected, found nothing. We called it and went home in despair.
Later sitting at the kitchen table having dinner the phone rang. It was the dentist. Just so happened the best friend of the dentist's daughter mentioned to her that she'd found a tooth on the playground that afternoon. She had it with her. The daughter told her dad at dinner. Within the hour I was at the dentist really not knowing what to expect. Gordy (Dentist) basically jammed the tooth back into my mouth, encasing my entire top teeth in some type of plastic. I'd sat in the dentist chair for about 2 1/2 hours that night from approx 7 - 9:30. Got home exhausted and went to bed quite demoralized. Little did I know it was just the start.
For the next month I had my front teeth encased in the plastic cast. I could only eat soft foods or foods that had been blenderized. I was a growing boy but wasn't eating much for good reason. The best meal I can remember durning those 30 days was a steak dinner that got pulverized in the blender for me to eat. My life during that time sucked. My speech, due to the plastic, was slurred and muffled.
So I got the cast off. The tooth that had been out of my mouth for the better part of 7 hours eventually locked onto my top jar bone. In two years I took up playing the trombone in band. Things there were interesting. Likewise I got the old tinsel teeth metal braces. Trying having a dead tooth (it was dead as the nerve was dead) and metal braces and playing a brass instrument. Also I played baseball, basketball and football during that time period, all the while being scared to death anytime something, an elbow, ball or whatever got close to my mouth.
Eventually the tooth started to turn color. Again it was dead and being in a wet location didn't help any. It got pulled when I was about 14 or so. I wore a partial which covered the hole in the front of my mouth but could be taken out at night. Nothing permanent could be done until my mouth/teeth stopped growing. Try playing a trombone with no front tooth! Interestingly it came in handy when I pitched. My best friend played second base. Our pickoff play was my taking my partial so that my fake front tooth was showing but my mouth was fully closed. We got a lot of guys picked of 2nd base that way.
I got my first bridge the summer after I graduated HS, before college. I got my second about 7 years later. My parents sued the parent's of the kid that destroyed my mouth. They were only able to collect for what the dentist charged AT THE TIME, or less than $2,000. This was the 60's/70's. If this'd happened now it'd happen been well into 5 figures, perhaps 6 given pain and suffering present and future.
I found out that Pat Johnson, the kid that pushed me, died a few years ago in his 50's. He had his paternal twin brother took of their fathers septic tank service. That sucked out shit and then took it the the Sewerage Dist. Apt profession for them both in my mind. I kept playing the trombone, became a 4 year drum major for our HS. I also was part of the Wis Honors Band the summer of my Jr year in HS, won the John Phillips Sousa band award my Sr year. Went on to major in music on trombone. At nearly 62 I still play in 3 different band, at church and do the occasional musical, playing in the pit band.
61-69, M