At The Dentist

On Monday, I went to the dentist, to attend to a growing irritation the back of the lower left molar.

The initial determination was that a filling might be required, but depending on the results of an in-depth investigation, maybe a crown too.

Laying in the dentist's chair as the Novocaine set in, there was time to E-Mail Gabe at work. Gabe has another friend who is a patient of Dr. Woo too, and although Gabe has never visited Dr. Woo's office, he had heard astonishing tales of the remodel several years ago, and how nice - even opulent - the place now was. Indeed, this subject had become a conversational trope between Gabe and myself. His dentist's office is distressingly ordinary by comparison.




I E-Mailed Gabe:

Help! They are babbling something about a defect, bringing in the financial person on the team, and making me watch the July 24th proceedings of the Folsom City Council on CCTV! Help!

Gabe replied:

I think that they need someone to pay for the nice consultation area.

Now, go and get your manicure and pedicure.

Gabe had a point. It IS a nice consultation area! There were two women in there when I passed by, making a presentation to a third (probably a cosmetic dentistry pitch). Gabe was skeptical about my report of how appealing the area is. Looking at the picture, he thought the room looked like a "Cone of Silence".

I began getting caught up in the culture of the Folsom City Council. They have a sister city in Italy (Crespano del Grappa), and some Folsom residents had recently been over there. They have a web of Italian connections over there.

Did you know that Folsom sales tax revenue has declined from $20 million/year, to about $15 million/year over the last five years? I did not know this! I was actually surprised it wasn't even greater, given that Folsom was fully exposed to the real estate crash. So, the news could have been even worse! Park revenues are up, so the news isn't all bad. Hmmmm. Hmmmm. Total revenue is down, though, but not dramatically.

I remembered that I had the channel changer, so I didn't have to listen to the decline of Folsom sales tax revenue if I didn't want to. I changed the channel on the TV and watched Martha Graham Dance Company dance instead. As I explained to Gabe, I still had the duty to remain in the dental chair, and help pay for the nice consultation area. As Dr. Woo once explained, one reason they like me over there is that I'm so "compliant." A compliant patient makes a happy dentist! (Which reminds me of once, when I picked E. up at her dentist, how difficult she was being. They weren't quite finished with her, but she was finished with them. Even from out in the lobby, I heard E. moaning, "I'm dying! I'm dying!" If only!)

Anyway, they decided to go conservative this time, and settled for a filling. I'm still vulnerable for a crown at some time in the future, but a filling will do for now. So, it didn't hurt as much as feared, either physically or financially.

Everyone is nice at Dr. Woo's! And the office is spectacular too!