I had a filling in a molar that had come loose. It was pure agony. I had never or have since felt pain that way. I don't have dental insurance, so all of these quick and fast 24 hour dentist places were just not friendly to my wallet (or to me). I ended up going to the hospital and they injected my jaw with a numbing agent that lasted long enough to let me sleep for a night.
My dad told me of a small dentist in my hometown that did a Saturday clinic for indigent people. I assume this was their opportunity for their new people to practice extractions etc. I didn't have alot of money to cover such an emergency, so I drove down to check the place out. Maybe they could do something for me.
The dentists office was beautiful. It was located in an historic building downtown, and it felt like you were in someone's home. It looked like an art gallery. All kinds of paintings, drawings and sculptures were everywhere. I was brought back to the dentists chair, and after some x-rays and a few discouraging words about not flossing etc, I got the bad news. It had to be fully extracted. I had never had anything like this done in my life. I asked the doc how much this procedure would be, and his answer was as scary sounding as the procedure.
I could not help but ask him about the artwork throughout the building. The doc said that they were all local artists here in town, and he and his associates purchase their artwork for their offices. I told him that I had grown up here, and that I was somewhat of an artist myself. A knifemaker. He became very interested, and I spent a good half an hour showing him photos of my work, and the processes involved in making them. I told him that I'd like to maybe have something of mine on the wall in his practice. We talked knives for a bit more, and then came time to get the drill out....
The procedure was virtually painless. The doctor asked me if I had any of my work available at the moment, and I told him that I had four that were finished. He patched me up, got my phone number and address, gave me a wink and a nod on the payment and sent me on my way. The next day the doc visited my home, and selected a beautiful wharncliffe style blade in grey stingray in payment for the tooth extraction.
