I inherited a genetic strand of pearls; a family heirloom handed down by some evolutionary lottery from my parents, both of whom had all their own teeth well past their 80’s. My teeth are a sign of years of preventative dentistry. That they are unusually white and straight is not my fault! I have used them to unscrew stubborn nail polish bottle caps, crack pistachio nuts. I sucked my thumb to age thirteen, and I chewed my nails for eighteen years. So, clearly, I was not aware of my extraordinary gift. They are straight and lined up like keys of a toy piano and fit together like the cogs in the workings of a fine watch.
I became acutely aware of the extreme quality of whiteness when I moved to England in 1995. Fourteen years of food rationing in Britain ended at midnight on 4 July 1954, when restrictions were lifted. This happened nine years after the end of the war and may account for the poor condition of many a Britons’ teeth. This was explained to me as I went to the local NHS dentist to check on a cracked filling in a molar in the lower righthand quadrant of my mouth. I needed a crown. After years of drinking tea, smoking and, perhaps, red wine, the British teeth are brown or at least beige. Looking at the color chart for the crown, the lightest color available was tan. But needs be, and the tooth needed to be capped.
Years later, I made a routine appointment to my wonderful dentist here on Amelia Island, Dr. Diller, the painless driller and expert filler. New to his office, the bright shade of my teeth was a topic of conversation and the dark crown noticeable. “Oh,” I said, “that is my British crown.” This led to explanation of the dentistry I had been privy to as a person married to a British citizen living in England. I went on to note that I did not drink tea, coffee, or red wine, had never smoked and other than the occasional blue or blackberry, my teeth had remained remarkably white.
Now in January I am set to have two crowns to repair old fillings that have hairline cracks. Yes, I am still using my teeth as tools! The expense of this procedure will set me back about $2000 dollars, but it does fall shortly after my birthday and Christmas, so rather than a diamond tiara, this princess with have two crowns. The color options are closer to my real tooth shade which is great since these two teeth are on my upper righthand jaw and more visible.
Years ago, visiting my son’s family in Spain, my path crossed for a day with my ex-husband whom I hadn’t seen in about five years. When I greeted him, he was taken aback, “Did you have your teeth capped!” he exclaimed. “No, they are the same teeth I have always had.” Perhaps he did not remember their glowing whiteness from before.
A new friend here on Amelia Island has nicknamed me "Smiley"!
