In 2010, I pulled an old filling out of a tooth eating a tootsie roll. I was in Kentucky visiting my mom. I cut my trip short to go back to NYC to see my dentist.

He did a root canal. And set me up to replace the filling.

Except.

When he started working on me the pain was insane.

The root canal didn’t work.

I ended up having to have the remnants cut out by a oral surgeon. And was fitted for an implant.

Six months later. A new fake tooth.

No big deal.

Except that I learned very quickly that food would get caught between the implant and the real tooth. And soon I had to carry dental floss with me every where.

First so it didn’t drive me crazy.

But who’s so food didn’t get between the teeth and smell bad.

My current dentist replaced the filling in the other tooth and essentially fixed the problem. But I still carry dental floss. Just in case.

Tonight a woman comes through the lobby on the way to the restroom and is happy we have toothpicks.

She makes a comment about food in her teeth and I ask if she wants some floss.

You’d think I’d just asked her if she wanted a free car.

She was so happy.

I gave her the floss.

She went into the restroom.

She came out a different woman.

This is not even close to the first time this has happened.