So I went to the dentist Saturday.

Yes, again. This time it was just for the good ole’ yearly checkup with my normal dentist, Dr. S. from Austin, Minn.

He did an X-ray, used one of the sharp pokey things to remove some tartar, prompting me to say "Ow, ow, that doesn’t come off," whereupon something in there immediately loosened up and he answered "But it just did."

He seemed terribly broken up over the fact that I’d had a root canal and three teeny cavities since he’d seen me last, and went to the trouble of digging out my old X-rays to see if he’d missed anything. Of course, he hadn’t. He seemed to feel inordinately bad about this.

I pointed out, "It’s not your fault I don’t floss properly."

But it didn’t seem to help much.

He gave me a bunch of floss samples, so I am going to Make an Effort.

One thing he did say that he’s never said before: "You’re a good brusher."

Well yeah, after this, you would be too!