I've already had a few interesting visits to the dentist, and as of a little while ago, it's time to add a fourth story to the list. As all of these stories do, my story started with a routine check up. I showed up on time, waited a few minutes, and then they called me back to get on with the dental part. Then things got really amusing.
Maybe I should've known that this was not going to be the usual check up when I saw the dentist walk in with a stroller and her baby. I didn't really think much of it at the time, since her husband was with her. I didn't quite know what was going on, but it's not particularly hard to surmise that if she was going to be doing her day job, he would be the one watching the baby. Pretty straight forward stuff.
You see, the dentist didn't recognize me as one of her patients. To be fair, I didn't immediately recognize her face when she walked in the door, either. Either way, she sat down and introduced herself before looking at my chart. As soon as that came up, she realized that she's seen me before. I wasn't offended or anything (remember, this forgetfulness had gone both ways), but she apologized. She was making small talk after that, and mentioned both the baby and the husband. That's where all of the hilarity started, because as a natural next question, she asked if I had any kids.
Well, no. I don't have any kids. I see a bunch of them around, but I don't have any of my own.
This prompted a few questions about how old I was, and if I was planning on having them anytime soon. I joked something to the extent of, "whoa whoa, let's not go jumping the gun," and then it was all fair game. We had a one-sided conversation (I had dentist tools in my mouth, remember?) about how it's easier to have kids when you're younger and how much of a toll it takes on you. We talked about how your early thirties is an ideal age, and how you want to have the energy to keep up with your kids. We discussed how the physical toll of sleepless nights is also a problem for fathers, not just mothers.
I knew all of this, but this was not the usual advice I was used to getting at the dentist's office. Usually, they tell you to floss more often or to use a different type of tooth brush. Instead, I was getting some friendly advice about life and making babies. It was all good natured, but I couldn't help but chuckle about all of this. The other person in the room, a dental hygienist/nurse type person, also chuckled along at points.
The kicker of all of this came at the very end. My visit was over, they'd cleaned my teeth, and given me a clean bill of (dental) health. I was walking out when the hygienist person called out, "have a good day. Next time bring your kids." She's got jokes, that one. The other dentists and hygienists who hadn't been in the room were mighty confused, but I let out a very hearty laugh. In fact, I saw one of them do something like a double take, since she immediately looked up when I started laughing.
Call it a hunch, but I don't think the dentist is going to forget who I am next time.
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