We all want to be brave at the dentist

Though sometimes

When our mouth contains at turns

A mirror a nutpicker a micro-jackhammer

A wedge with a genius for finding fragile sensitive subtongue areas

A zinger a 500lb compacter

Cementum gold abrasion

And a thing that turns your gullet into a reservoir

We can’t help but feel like an enemy under illegal interrogation

And we can’t talk as demanded because our mouth is full of stuff

But we know this is all for our own good

So we tell ourselves Relax

And it turns out all kinds of muscle groups and areas public and private are not relaxed

Our eyebrows are trying to crawl beneath our hairline

Our left shoulder is totally relaxed

But our right shoulder is braced for a hit from a 340lb linebacker

Our sphincters all have ROAD CLOSED signs

And our fingers grasp cliff edge

But we are good soldiers

We relax

We live in our toes for a while

Or pretend it’s two hours in the future and we are watching the replay

And time spidercrawls on

And at last it’s time to rinse

And we run our tongue over pristine surfaces

Maybe even smile on our way out

Except on that last stop by the exit

Behold what it is costing

And will cost

OMA-GG

(O My Anti-Gingivital God)

But we get philosophical

Reflecting that ensuring that teeth won’t have to be pulled

Can be a lot like pulling teeth