Day 581: Careful Mouth

Dog events today: being barked at by way of ferocious welcome; burrowing underneath a blanket; trying on the (tiny) harness; picking up strategies; hand-licking; learning how many carrots is enough.*

I am no longer enamoured with my dentist. I sense that she doesn't actually give a shit, or do a very good job (I learnt this to some extent when I had to go back to have the temporary filling shaved back to stop it slicing into my tongue). She also did a check-up, which I paid £23 for, but seemed mostly to involve naming teeth. When I pointed out a tooth that was giving me pain, she then identified a 'clearly visible' chip in the tooth, around the filling, with decay underneath. Just before that, I was all done, with only the two danger teeth in question. No longer reassured by her no-mess attitude. Time to move.

Also, the 'we can do a root canal today' became 'I can't do a root canal or an extraction on that tooth - it's too hard' within the space of about four seconds, thanks to the x-rays, which she'd looked at in much more detail before. Why is it, when my instinct is really clear, that I feel like a bit of a nobber? Either way, I have to live with that feeling. I'm SO not going back.

Given the temporary filling and the hideous pain in the tooth next to it when anything goes near it, and the cavity on the side I chew on, it looks like I'm going to have to do Careful Mouth until I can get the work done. Good that I declined the offer of paying £300 up front today, for work that won't be done. Every, every, every cloud. Seriously. Every one.

Victoria Sandison

Very sweet, very calm and unfazed, slightly limpy fox today down the back between St Paul's Rd and Essex Rd. He/she actually came towards me... but then loped off. I love being close to foxes. I miss shouting at them out of my window. Maybe, when I move, that will be possible again! Let's hope so.

* two slices. We're talking about a REALLY small dog.