Over the weekend, I had a filling fall out. My tooth was all jagged and kept rubbing my tongue. It hurt a little, although it was never real bad. So, when I got back into town, I went to our dentist. I had never been to this guy before, but he was exceptional. He not only had the digital x-rays, but he also was able to take pictures of my tooth so I could actually see what he was talking about.
Well, turns out I was wrong. The old silver filling from my childhood was still in the tooth. Over the years, however, the filling separated some from the tooth, and decay was able to form underneath the filling. What I had felt happen was in fact the outer edge of my tooth fracturing off!!
Well, now I've go a temporary crown, and I'll be putting on the real crown in a couple of weeks. The temporary crown is cool, as it's stainless steel. It looks like I'm Jaws from James Bond.My point to this story, however, was a realization I had while I was enjoying the lovely smell of ground tooth coming from my mouth. Every now and then, I try to determine what other career I should have tried. I don't have the temperament for the law, and it requires far too much research for my lazy mindset. Medical school could't happen because I'm too squeamish. Besides, the pressure of having someone's life in my hands was too much for me. Business school never seemed substantive to me.
Dental school, though ... why didn't I ever think of that? You make great money, and it's a respected profession. It requires some thought and intelligence, but you don't get bogged down in one project or case for extended periods of time. You own your own business, people have to call you "doctor," you get access to x-ray machines if you want to see what's inside your Christmas present - what's not to love?Now, I've come to realize that I share a lot in common in thought and behavior with most engineers, and so I was probably destined to end up here. After my appointment today, though, I'm confident that I COMPLETELY dropped the ball. I should have been Dr. Jim, D.D.S.!
Ah well, who knew?
Until next time,
The Jim
P.S. He wrote me a prescription for Hydrocodone, so I'm going to be high as a kite tonight!!
1 comment:
Okay, you are NOT going to believe this, but just today, I was thinking about what it would have been like if I had been a dentist. I could not have handled it, but I agree, you would make a great dentist. Also, I would like to point out that sometime in the late 90s, my dad had me have all of my old fillings removed (out of fear of mercury poisoning) and replaced with the new filling material. I know that does not come as a shock to you.
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