I don’t like to complain….

I don’t like to complain…. Well actually I suppose I do on occasion complain a fair amount. I, like most Canadians, like to complain about the weather. But of course Canadians are not unique in the area. Yesterday while I was shopping someone said to me “This is Canada – if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change”. I had always thought that an uniquely Canadian comment until last year in Washington State, I heard someone say exactly the same thing- “This is Washington – if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change.” So I guess all humans complain about the weather. But I am not sure if commenting about the weather is really complaining.

I also, as the occasional reader will know, complain every once in a while about our politicians. Lord knows there is a lot to complain about. In fact I think I am surprisingly reserved in my comments. Like talking about the weather, complaining about our, at best, seemingly incompetent politicians would seem to be our civic duty. But generally I really don’t complain a lot about my personal life – but today I will.

I have had every tooth in my head filled not once but twice. There are a few that have been repaired at least three times. The teeth were first filled over a the years by a number of dentist, most of whom seem to take great delight in excavating as much as they possible could from the center of my teeth and then filling the hole with metal fillings. As a consequence, I had very little original enamel left. So the teeth broke, got repaired and the broke again. My present dentist decided a few years ago that all of my teeth needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. I had the last tooth done about a year ago in a six hour session. I knew I need to get them crowned but I thought I had a year or two before problems started to arise.

WRONG!!! A month ago I developed some problems and needed to get a root canal done and two crowns installed. On the weekend I developed “some soreness” on the other side. I was told yesterday that I had an abscess and will need another root canal, and then have to go through the process of getting crowns for three more teeth. When I told the receptionist and then the dentist that I just wanted a whole new head – they thought I was joking…. I am not. I am tired of not only being “uncomfortable” because my at any given time at least on tooth hurts, I am also tired of dreading going to the dentist. While he is a great dentist and very solicitous about any discomfort, I am really getting tired of contributing to his grandchildren’s’ university fund (I have already paid for his kids to go to six years of post secondary education).

Perhaps this will be my last visit for a while but there is something wrong when I see my dentist, within a eight week period, almost more times than I have seen my grandkids in a 12 month period. So I am complaining!!