The French Dentist

I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. I had gone to his office a week earlier to make the appointment. He doesn’t have an assistant. I entered his waiting area. Rang the buzzer. He came out and I made an appointment with him. I wanted to make a second appointment for the Husband, but he told me that I could make that when I came in for my appointment.

When I showed up for my appointment, the dentist asked me why I had come in, and I replied that I was there to have my teeth cleaned. I got in the chair. He asked me to remove my lipstick. He peered into my mouth. Then he said he didn’t understand why I wanted my teeth cleaned.

I told him that I get my teeth cleaned twice a year. He gave a slight shrug as if to say, okay lady, if you want to waste your money.

He asked me if I used an electric toothbrush. I said I did. He said he could tell because my teeth were evenly cleaned. He added that it looked as if I flossed regularly. Yes, but not every day I admitted. He told me again that I really didn’t need my teeth cleaned.

I don’t have the whitest, brightest smile. I drink a lot of tea and so my teeth resemble those of a British person who’s had good American orthodontia. But I guess that by French standards I have fantastic teeth. Add another reason to my long list of why I love this country.

I paid the dentist’s 20 Euro bill. I made an appointment for the Husband and tried to make one for the twenty-year-old Progeny. No, the dentist replied, your husband can make the appointment for your son. (I haven’t been able to figure out why the dentist won’t give out more than one appointment at a time.)

I asked the dentist if he could whiten my teeth. He said he could whiten them, but it would just be a minor improvement, which leads me to believe that he doesn't have the extreme whitening capabilities of American dentists. I inquired if he had an appointment available within the next few days. No he didn’t. I didn’t make the appointment. I’m leaving for the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, and wanted to get my teeth whitened. There’s no reason to get my teeth whitened after I return. I’ll have the dingiest teeth at the Festival, but here in my rural department, I get the feeling that I possess the best set of adult teeth my dentist has ever seen.