I was talking to my mom this morning while I was on the way to my dental cleaning appointment (using the earpiece, so I had both hands on the wheel).  We started having a conversation about how long I'd been seeing the same dentist.  I'm a creature of habit, so we both knew it had been a long time, with mom thinking it had been 20 years and me knowing it had been much longer than that.  Well, when I got there, I asked, and sure enough I was right!  January 13, 1976 was my first appointment, so it's been 31 years.  I would have been all of 12 years old, almost 13.  I remember very clearly that one of the very first times I visited, he pulled 2 of my baby teeth that never developed permanent teeth beneath them, in preparation for my braces.

I used to be terrified of the dentist, because of a poor experience early on.  I must have been about 4 or 5, and my brother and I had appointments with our dentist--we'd been to him maybe once before.  I can't remember what he was doing, but it hurt, and I was crying. When he was done and I got out of the chair, he was upset because I was still crying and he slapped me and my head and hair barette hit the wall.  My brother got out of his chair and kicked the man and started to hit him.  He hauled us out to the waiting area and told my mom very loudly how horrible we were.  When we got to the car, mom was mad (and embarrassed) and started yelling at us, but then noticed how upset we were and asked what happened.  When we told her, she marched back in and gave that man an earful, right in front of his patients and everyone in the waiting room.  She says people  actually got up and walked out.  I don't remember the mom yelling at him part of the story, but I remember the rest of it (especially my brother kicking him).   I remember people looking at my head, because I guess I had a bruise or a cut where my hair barette hit the wall.  Mom says that soon after that, he closed his practice in Cincinnati and only worked at his Fairfield office.  Anyway, after that,  my brother and I had a dentist phobia for a while--I'm not sure if he ever really got over his, he pretty much just went when he thought something was wrong, luckily he had good teeth.

Anyway, I just love my current dentist.  I'm going to be devastated when he retires, which will probably be within the next 5 years. 

If I'd just waited a few more days for my appointment, I could have gone on my anniversary date!