Slurp

A couple of weeks ago my dentist told me I had a cracked molar, which meant it was time for a crown. I just came from a return visit, which involved lots of drilling. Now I have a temporary crown. In two weeks, if all goes as planned, I'll go once more to have the permanent crown installed.

At the dentist's office, the days of rinse and spit are long gone. I miss them. Nowadays an assistant squirts water into my mouth with one device, and sucks it out with another. It's a messier process, and it removes almost all agency from yours truly. Back in the day, I could rinse for as long as I liked. No more.

I say almost all agency, though, because I still have a role. Each time the assistant rinses my teeth, there comes a moment when she, always she, moves the suction device to the front and center of my mouth, then waits. That is my cue to purse my lips and force into the instrument whatever effluvia she missed. I do not recall ever discussing how to do this with any dental professional -- indeed, with anyone at all, ever -- but I find that it comes perfectly naturally. Is that just good chairside manner?