Tag Archives: dentist

Dentist Office Artwork

I love when art makes me stop and pay attention to it, to lose myself in the experience of viewing the work. This happened to me earlier this week when I accompanied my wife Pam to the periodontist’s office for an appointment.

While I sat in the waiting room—rocking our nearly three-month-old son Colin and hoping the other patients would ignore what I thought was the smell of his soiled diaper—I stared at some artwork hanging on the walls. There were three oil paintings illuminated by the warm glow of recessed lighting.

The first painting showed a European plaza with flower stands on one side and an outdoor cafe on the other; the pedestrians were dressed in 19th century attire and some carried umbrellas. Even though it was a rainy day scene, the palette contained a mix of bright colors, including pink and violet flowers. At the top right corner of the frame, yellow sunlight fought to break through the clouds.

An oil painting of a European street scene (artist unknown).

An oil painting of a European street scene (artist unknown).

Another image showed a pedestrian bridge over a canal in Venice (or so I presumed) with cypress trees rising in the distance.

Venice scene. Oil on canvas, artist unknown.

Venice scene. Oil on canvas, artist unknown.

And the third one depicted a woman’s bicycle leaning against a stone or brick building with an arched doorway and a windowsill festooned with red flowers.

Bicycle leaning against building. Oil on canvas, artist unknown.

Bicycle leaning against building. Oil on canvas, artist unknown.

I wish I could give the artist credit by name, but I didn’t see a signature on the paintings. Of course these were not masterpieces painted by Van Gogh or Monet. However, the three works transported me to another place and allowed me to vicariously roam through the streets of an Old World city and stand on a bridge in Venice and observe the beautiful scenery.

Looking at these images interrupted the mundane experience of waiting in a dentist’s office and made the time pass more quickly. I also felt happy embarking—at least mentally—on a trip overseas. Although I dream of going on a European vacation one day, I know it’s unlikely I will visit Paris, Rome or Florence anytime soon, due to work demands and financial constraints. You see, right now the priority is paying for cans of Similac Expert Care Alimentum formula and a new bridge for my wife. Not to mention another box of Pampers for Colin.

Colin Joseph Close-Up.

Colin Joseph Close-Up.

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Signs of Aging

The universe has sent me a two-pronged message this week: 1) I am getting old, and 2) aging is taking its toll.

On Monday I visited the ophthalmologist for my annual checkup. The result: my first prescription for progressive lenses. I am nearsighted and I have an astigmatism. But I also need reading glasses (welcome to the mid-forties); right now I use four pairs of glasses on a daily basis—a distance and reading pair at work and a distance and reading pair at home.

I’m nervous about making the switch to the progressive lenses—afraid I’ll be driving down the road, dip my head to change the radio station, look up again and my eyes won’t be able to recover in time to spot the semi truck several yards in front of me. Will the road become a blurry mess?

But the eye doctor assured me that my eyes would adjust depending on my activities. He explained the top part of the lens is for distance and the bottom portion is for reading. He said, “Do you use a cell phone?” “Yes,” I said. “OK then, you’ll have no problem.”

I didn’t see the correlation, but I didn’t press him on the matter. Still, even after I fill the prescription at America’s Best, I intend to keep my four separated pairs as backup.

On Tuesday I went to a dental specialist for a consultation on two cracked molars, one on the upper right and one on the bottom right (#2, #31). After taking X-rays and running a series of pain sensitivity tests, the dentist offered me two options: 1) root canals on both teeth with follow-up crowns or 2) extraction. He said I still have “chewing surface” on the right, and the two teeth in question are in bad shape, meaning I could still have problems with them in the future.

I decided to go with extraction and the work is scheduled for next week. The woman at the reception desk processed the paperwork for the follow-up visit. I studied the estimate for the extraction, and the cost is no doubt cheaper than two root canals.

However, the wording next to the medical code on the bill failed to reassure me about the choice I had made. It read: “surgical removal of erupted tooth.” Erupted tooth? Yikes.

I am happy to say I do not have any other medical appointments scheduled this week. So, fingers crossed, I hope to avoid recording a hat trick of bad health news.

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