| 6 Terrace Review _: Wednesday, october 12, 1988 .

Pe a . te
Reflections in’ J[
adentallamp §£

COMMENLALY — by stephanie Wiebe

Remember when the word
‘‘dentist’? used to make your
knees knock? Back in those an-
cient pre-fluoride days, when
three: cavities meant a good
check-up report? Boy, have
times changed in the dental pro-
fession.

‘It used to be that the word
‘<dentist’’ was a synonym for the
words ‘“‘agonizing pain’. I
remember dreading that office,
with its funny smells and
surgical aura. Poor old Dr.
Richards did his best to care for
his young traumatized patients,
probing around in a smail
mouth that had recently housed
six licorice: sticks, a Mars bar,
and Double Bubble gum. His
quiet dentist-voice checking off
the list of ills. ‘““Buckle on that
first molar. A watch on this left
one.’’? I knew the assistant was
actually writing down ‘‘drill,

-needle, cold air on the nerve,
needle, more drilling.”
. In these modern times, the
kids are thrilled to go to the den-
tist, It’s-fun in the waiting room,
cavities are rare, and they get a
new toothbrush. I, however

_have been psychologically scar-

red'for life, and cannot refrain

from tensing up.
Last Tuesday: Dr. X has never
_ inflicted pain upon my delicate
mouth yet, but from the minute
the spit-bib is clamped on, the
tension mounts. [ open my
mouth, and always expect to
hear, “Ah hah! ’Pepsi and
-- caramel corn last Tuesday, ch?

“And you’re still using your |

with sharp instruments, blood
and such, not very calmly. Sud-
denly, I realize he’s talking
about other tactics toward sav-
ing this tooth. He doesn’t seem
to want to get into a root canal if

it can be avoided. Struck with —

hope, I want to write this man a
blank cheque for his attitude.
We set a date: we'll meet again
next week.

A week later: Well, this is it.
Not a root canal but a heavy du-
ty filling. Laying in the almost-
upside down dentist’s chair,
blood rushing to my nervous
brain, I tell myself that people
don’t die from a needle and a
drill. Poor Dr. X is gentle and
reassuring, and quite concerned
that I’m anticipating torturous
agony. I wonder if my white
knuckles gave me away.

I think about how I would feel |

to be in his shoes. I’d hate to
work on someone who’s so
tense. If my patient was scared,
it would make me conscious of
every little twitch, and I'd likely
slip up and drill through a cheek
or something. Somehow, this
thought is not comforting.
Then E notice that it’s difficult
to look at the dentist while he’s
working in your mouth. His face
is s0 close, it’s uncomfortable to
look at him, because if I were
working that ‘stranger’s face,
it would really disturb my con-
centration if I knew they were
studying my face. It’s like in-
vading somebody else’s personal
space. That could be why they
put posters on the ceiling. There
must be some sort of dental psy-

BEHIND BARS: During the course of a recent chat with Copper Mountain School students Mary —

NicCallum and Crystal Vandale about a lunchtime altercation, principal Dave Crawley
discovered that the three of them were locked in his office. They had walked In and closed the |
door while some work was being done on the door

Veysey 40 minutes to release them. Unsympathetic

and called our photographer.

knob, and it took maintenance man Bob .
staff taped cardboard bars to the window - .

New recreation programs coming —

contributed by Luc Gagnon |

Many new things are happen-
ing concerning the recreation
programs offered for children,
teens and adults by the Terrace
Parks and Recreation Depart-

"ment,

- First, some* of our after-
school children’s programs,
which were scheduled to start in
September but encountered
unusually low registration, will

be offered again, along with

some new ones starting the last

‘week of October. The programs

are for either Kindergarten to
Grade 3 or Grades 4 to 7 age
groups, and include Introduc-
tion to Computers, Creating
with Recycled Material, Gym
Games (now Kindergarten to
Grade 3), Floor Hockey and
Basketball, and a Films and
Stories program in either
English or French.

For details, please look for

our flyer which will soon be
to every child

distributed
through the school system, or
cali 638-1174.

Also, the following general in-

terest programs for teens and

adults start soon: Fly Tying,

Fishing Rod Construction,
Calligraphy, Dog Obedience and
a Watercolor Workshop with
Dave Comfort. For more infor-

- mation call 638-1174.

|
|

~, bicuspids to open beer bottles?
ve Tsk, tsk.”

4g But he quietly probes with his
é stainless steel tools, searching

chology in that.
While he’s excavating in my
mouth, I’m wondering if den-

“for flaws and past sins. He’s
very nice about it. I’m sure if I

— looked into a stranger’s mouth, .

I’d be disgusted by the sights. I
wonder if he ever wants to
shout, “Yuck! You floss like a
- moron!’? Somehow he refrains.
We routinely discuss my den-
tal health, with his mind likely
on strong, perfect teeth and
mortgage payments, my mind
on possible discomfort. He men-
tions “‘root canal’’, and I nod
calmly. Inside, I’m thinking
about needles, digging into teeth

WHAT’S A FEW
HUNDRED
YEARS MORE
OR LESS?

‘Tom Taggart’s monthly
"historical events column in the
“ Sept...28.. Terrace Review con-
"tained the rather startling infor-

. #nation that Christopher Colum-
“bus discovered the new world in
..-4903. ‘The date should have been
-fearer 1500. |
oo he: event. that occurred in
",{903Was the victory of the
Boston Pilgrims over the Pitts-

burgh Pirates in the first World

ties of baseball... it went six

neem
Saray st

tists ever eat toffee, or Snickers.

bars. Do they have to do it in
secret? Are they ever too tired to
floss? I fear we may never. know

the answers to these important

questions.

And don’t you wonder what
your tongue is doing while the
dentist is in your mouth? Your
tongue just sort of stays there,
out of the way until you think
about it, and thea’ it feels like a
lumpy growth, and you try to
move it and then it hits the den-
tal tools and you have to let it
flop back to one side. I hate it
when that happens.

Meanwhile, somebody is vac-
cuuming the spit’ out of your
mouth, and you think, This is
disgusting. I’m glad I don’t
know these people sociaily.
What if you met someone at a

party who had sucked away your —

excess spit? You'd be talking to

them, and maybe they'd be 7
thinking about how much spit

you produce. It could be
awkward.
Suddenly, it’s over. I can sit
up, the spit-bib is whisked away,
and my teeth feel great. I’m a

regular person ‘again. (That -
wasnt really me in that chair, —

displaying spit and tartar and

decay. That was just my mouth.,).

I didn’t suffer in agony and the
poor dentist even survived. ©

1 think I'll go have some
caramel corn. And then floss.

If you wish toannounce 5

the birth of YOUR baby, please fill out the form Yes
available in the maternity ward at Mills Memorial
Hospital. We will pick up your forms every week.

ED ANDERSON and CAROLYN CHRISTIANSEN are proud to an- |
nounce the birth of their son, Myles Thomas Anderson, on October 1, 1988
weighing 10 lbs. 14 02.

MAXIMCHUK — Alison is the proud mother of baby daughter, Alissa -
Jeanne, born on October 7, 1988, weighing 7 lbs. 12 0zs. oo

WOODCOCK — Karen and Mike are pleased to announce the birth.of |
their first child, a son, Tyler Michael, 8 lbs. 32 ozs., on October 1,:1988. :

| BILOWERS
Al A CAIRT Bo

‘Membor of AFS Wire Saivice —

24-hour Phone [xf
(604)635-4080 —

. Skeena Mall