Interesting conversation I had today, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
First off, I’m feeling a little like Hiccup’s dragon in the book and movie series, How to Train Your Dragon. His name was Toothless, for obvious reasons that I’m not going to explain. I had a certain body part “extracted” from my head today. (I think they use the word “extract” because it sounds more sterile than “pull.”) It wasn’t pretty. I have a feeling they never are. Bone loss, two cracks and a bad root canal. It happens.
My conversation:
Me: Can I have those? (Pointing at the bloody tooth pieces on the dentist tray)
Dental tech: They aren’t sterile.
Me: I just want them to make art.
Dental tech: I suppose you could soak them in bleach.
Me: O.K. I just want to make something out of them.
Dental tech: They aren’t sterile. Your mouth is full of germs.
Me: It’s my blood.
Dental tech: But if somebody else touches them…
Me: We’re not going to eat them.
Dental tech: But if they touch them and then touch their mouth…
Me: It’s for art. Nobody will be touching them.
Dental tech: If you put a sign on them, “Do not touch…”
So. I have pieces of my head wrapped in gauze in a sterile plastic pouch sitting in front of me as I type.
Next up: work on that sign…