Say Ahhh

Dental hygienist=hard job. Why? Well, because not only do they have to deal with yucky teeth and bad breath (not mine, of course, I have perfect teeth and breath like the scent of fresh rainbows), but they have to carry on a witty, one-sided conversation. My dental hygienist is the best at this. While her hands are in my mouth she chatters away, keeping me very entertained. But I have to wonder two things. One, does she really expect me to answer the few questions she asks me? Because she doesn't take the tools out of my mouth after she asks. So, I am stuck with one of two responses, either smiling at her with my eyes, as if to say, 'I completely agree with everything you say and hopefully you are versed in eye smiles to understand this.' Or, starting to talk with tools in my mouth, which is probably less understandable than the eye smile. In fact, yesterday, I started to talk with the sucker thing (yes that's the official name) in my mouth and it literally sucked the words right out. It was the oddest sensation.

The second thing I wondered yesterday at my appointment, happened at the very end. When she was all finished, the dental hygienist pulled out my chart and said, "Just let me take a few notes and then I'll walk you up front," at which point she proceeded to write for a good 3 minutes. When she was done, she quickly flipped the chart closed and smiled at me. I wanted to say, "Uh, what did you just write?" What did she just write? Did she write that the patient became extremely defensive when asked about her flossing habits? Did she write that my breath did not smell of fresh rainbows? Or maybe that I actually tried to answer her questions with the tools in my mouth. I demand to read my chart. (although maybe I shouldn't because then she'd write that in there) But why couldn't she just wait until I was out of the room to write about me?