Long in the Tooth

While she was shopping at a nearby market, an out-of-town relative lost her filling. She spied a dentist’s office across the street. The young doctor replaced the filling without charge and sent her on her way. One good deed deserves recompense, and so, having put off an exam for five years, I had my teeth X-rayed and cleaned at Stan’s. That was over 20 years ago, and I’ve been going to him ever since.

From the age of eight Stan knew that he wanted to be a dentist. (I don’t know anyone else who discovered his life’s purpose at such an early age.) He went to Berkeley, then hung his shingle at an old wooden building by the freeway. He kept his offices clean, and his equipment, although not state-of-the-art, was well-maintained.

He expanded his practice and moved to an office just off El Camino Real, the north-south boulevard that runs between San Francisco and San Jose. He always bought the latest gadgets and happily responded to inquiries about them. Using a minicamera, he recorded and expounded upon close-ups of my teeth, which I thought were the epitome of grossness until another doctor showed me pictures a bit south of my mouth.

Stan’s practice has plateaued because he never gives his patients the hard sell. He’ll comment that an old filling may have to be replaced with a gold crown and that I should “keep an eye on it”. Well, I’ve been watching that filling for ten years. And he’s never broached the topic of whitening, although it’s obvious that I’ve been a coffee drinker throughout my adult life.

Finding someone like Stan, who is good at and loves what he does, and whose primary motivation isn’t money, is a pleasure. Now if I can just find an honest mechanic……

Electric Toothbrush
At my most recent check-up Stan recommended that I begin using an electric toothbrush. Having been discouraged by their messiness and expense, I hadn't used one for over ten years. At Costco we picked up a Braun mid-range model, and I was surprised by the noticeable improvement over manual brushing. The Braun scrubbed the plaque off of hard-to-reach crevices while it massaged the gums with just the right amount of pressure. Technology marches on.

Take Care of Your Teeth and Live Longer
Among health tips for baby boomers in yesterday's Wall Street Journal:

Floss your teeth: Everyone knows dental hygiene is important for healthy teeth. But it is also important for your heart. A growing body of research shows a link between periodontal disease and stroke and heart disease.

In a study published last year in the journal Stroke, for example, those with severe periodontal disease (gum disease) had a 4.3 times greater risk of stroke than those with either mild or no periodontal disease. Scientists believe that infection in the mouth increases level of inflammation in the blood, which can help create blood clots that lead to strokes and heart attacks. Periodontal disease is most common in those older than 50.

© 2005 Stephen Yuen