>Critter Conversation #9

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Tony had his third wisdom tooth removed yesterday. He’d had the two on his upper and lower left side taken out four years ago, but at the time the dentist performing the procedure was too lazy didn’t feel the need to remove the ones on the left.

Those two remaining teeth have been bothering him for the past two years now, and last week, at his annual cleaning, Tony finally worked up the nerve to complain to the dentist here. They took x-rays, told him that he could walk in during ‘sick call’ hours – 8am most mornings – and they’d remove the top one. But not the bottom, because that one is impacted and has fused to the bone, and will require a general anesthetic and some serious digging into his jawbone to remove.

He come home tonight – after a full day of work following the procedure – with the tooth in his pocket. The entire inch-and-a-half of it, root and all. He showed it to Bear, who has recently taken an interest in such matters, since she knows that sooner rather than later she’ll begin losing her own baby teeth.

Tony: “I’m going to put it under my pillow for the Tooth Fairy to find,” he told her.

“Oh yeah?” I interjected. “What do you think the going rate is these days for a tooth?”

“Twenty dollars!” Bear suggested, excitedly.

Tony’s eyes lit up. “Yes! That sounds about right to me,” he said, smiling.

“Oh really? For all teeth?” I asked.

“Oh no,” he clarified, “Not all teeth. Just the really big wisdom teeth that have been in there for thirty years. I think baby teeth earn you fifty cents.”

“A dollar, I think,” I said, and Bear’s face lit up.

“Wow, a dollar,” she repeated. “I’ll be rich!” And she walked away, testing her teeth for the telltale signs of wiggling. Of cash.

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