Knitters Greenhouse

Through my childhood, I had a LOT of cavities, and got a LOT of fillings. I always had shots of novacaine (which I hated) and drilling (which I dreaded) and it hurt and I hated it. My fears and dread of dentistry have never fully been overcome, but one dentist's office has made a positive impact in my life and the lives of my kids.

When I was a small child, I went to a mean dentist, who I will call Dr. XYZ. The first time I was in his chair I wet my pants I was so scared. I was probably 4 or 5? He used clamps and screw-on fasteners to keep my mouth open, and I was scared. I wanted my mom, but she wasn't allowed in the room. I remember feeling intimidated and had to pee so bad, but couldn't ask to get down from the chair, and I lost it. No one from the office ever confronted my mom and it was never mentioned, and I kept going to that same dentist, even though a couple years later he SLAPPED my sister for not sitting still. This guy should NOT have been a children's dentist!

When I was 14, I became too old for the children's dentist, so my mom took me to a new one, Dr. Donald Jennings. Since I spent years dreading going to see Dr. XYZ every six months, I didn't know what to expect. Dr. Jennings was my Mom's and Dad's dentist, and he wasn't so bad. He cleaned my teeth, treated me well, and he would always ask about Mom and Dad, or one of my brothers or my sister, who also saw him for dental work. In all the years that I saw Dr. Jennings, I never once even came close to wetting my pants in his office.

As my kids each became 4 or 5, they each started seeing Dr. Jennings for check-ups and cleanings. Even when it was hard financially, we always took them in. They hardly EVER had any cavities! Through braces, cleanings, fillings, and capsand crowns, Dr. Jennings was our family dentist.

Sara, 20, is a whole ten years younger than my oldest, Karen, and Sara longed to start her visits way before she got to go for her first appointment. She wanted to go, but always had to wait while the older kids saw the Dr. Finally, about the time she began kindergarten, Sara finally got to go to Dr. Jennings for a check-up the first time. She sat still - no accidents (and no reason to be afraid, either). She had no cavities, and she got her free toothbrush. And Dr. Jennings, through the years, would almost always say, "Sara, you've done a good job. No cavities."

At Dr. Jennings' office you could look overhead while in the chair, where there would always be a new poster with some funny saying. On the walls of Dr. Jennings office, original poems were framed - words he wrote to his grandchildren. And there were always pictures of trips taken with the nursing and office staff: hot-air balloon rides, dental outreaches to needy patients, and complimentary letters from youngsters who came to "tour" the dentist office.

Some time ago, I realized that I had been seeing Dr. Jennings for over 35 years! and then it was 36, 37, and now...40 years - longer than any other medical professional in my whole life! Last Saturday, I got a letter, and it says that Dr. Jennings has sold his practice and is retiring. The first person I called was Sara. "What? Who will I go to? Where will I get my toothbrushes? Where will I ever find another dentist that is also a poet?"

I don't know, Sara. There aren't many like him. Thanks, Dr. Jennings, for all the good years.