Decay Alarm

So after 15 years, through the recommendation of a friend, I decided to see a new dentist. I had an appointment last week. The office is nice and contemporary and the dental hygienist is friendly and personable. As she’s cleaning my teeth she’s pleased to learn I floss everyday and my teeth look good overall. My first visit is going very well.

Then the hygienist notices my partially erupted wisdom teeth on my lower jaw. She then informs me they have advanced technology and she’s going to check my teeth with a decay wand. The plan is to run the wand over my teeth and a sensor beeps when it come across decay. It’s a way for them to detect cavities.

To me, this “magical decay wand” could just be a fancy pen with a beeper. The wand is quiet as it checks out my teeth until it comes to the concerning partially erupted wisdom teeth and it begins to beep like mad. I’m surprised it didn’t start speaking in an electronic voice calling out, “Decay! Decay! Rotten teeth here!”

So on my first visit to a new dentist I’ve been informed I need to see an oral surgeon to have these two wisdom teeth removed. I’m pretty bummed about that, but I’m actually more concerned my previous dentist never had a problem with the partially erupted wisdom teeth. Maybe he just didn’t have the advanced technology of the magical decay wand, but I think he would have let me go on forever with teeth rotting in my head.