Celebrity or not, wealthy or “just scraping by”, we all have the common bond of having a mouthful of teeth to take care of and we all have to manage our nervousness over routine dental visits and procedures. Billy Crystal, a well known comedian, wrote a funny reflection on what he observed about teeth; some of us can probably relate.
Billy admitted that he grew up not really understanding the importance of oral health…until he observed his grandparents (who never had a single dental visit), sloppily extract their dentures at the dinner table. “’Take care of your teeth, Billy. Take care of your teeth.’ I think that’s what my grandma said, because with her lips flapping in the breeze, she could have said, ‘Pass me the marble cake.’ I was shocked—and slightly nauseous. It was a terrible thing for a grandson to see, even though I was 32 years old. None of my grandparents had good teeth. Sometimes when my grandfather was eating the Thanksgiving brisket, his dentures would be hurting so much he’d remove them at the table, keep them in his hand, and manually chew the rubbery meat until it was ground down enough to swallow. While we all watched in horror, he’d take the ‘chewed’ meat, dip it in horseradish, put it in his mouth, and swallow it with a great sigh of satisfaction. He’d then say something inaudible, and Grandma would reply, ‘Don’t talk with your hand full.’”
Billy’s advice?” Take care of your teeth! It’s why we baby boomers should floss, it’s why we should brush, and it’s why we should go to the dentist, because we know dentists are important people. It’s sad; dentists don’t get the respect they deserve. You never hear, “Is there a dentist in the house?”
Ha, that’s a good point. So, take that next step, make an appointment and start making your teeth a priority…or you too may find your teeth in your hand!