Dental Hygiene

I took Rose and Anne to the dentist this morning. They both had cavities that needed to be filled.

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Being the granddaughter of a dentist, I make sure that all members of my family have a regular cleaning and check-up every six months. So imagine my surprise when, while sitting in the waiting room, I heard the following conversation. It took place between a middle-aged couple and their elderly mother was being seen. The mother lived in a nursing home and was brought to the appointment by a nursing home staff member.

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Woman: This dentist said he can do everything in the same day. So we see him this morning and he'll have it ready by this afternoon.
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Mom: Oh good.
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Man: Yeah. We sure are lucky to get in. You know Joe had to have seven teeth pulled.
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Mom: Seven?!?
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Man: Yep. Well, I guess that's what we get for not taking him in for a check-up for the last eight years. He had to have two from the front pulled and the rest from the back.
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Woman: He must have had such a hard time eating.
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Man: Yeah. We just didn't even notice. His front teeth looked fine. It never occurred to me to pry his mouth open and check the molars. They were so bad that an infection had started. He had stitches from where they had to dig the teeth out and then he had to be on medication for a good long while to combat the infection.
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Mom: Oh the poor dear.
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Man: Yep. You know he just kept eating his biscuits and you really have to use your molars to chew those up.
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Mom: Biscuits?
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Man: Oh he loved to eat biscuits. They were his favorite treat. Boy! It sure shows how much he loved those biscuits that he would still eat them even though he must have been in so much pain.
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It was at this point that I realized they were NOT talking about another elderly relative in their care, but were, in fact, talking about their dog. :S