Amber & Things That Aren't Sciences

In the first phase of my effort to become Carol Channing, Project Smile, I went to the dentist for the first time since DC last week.

The good news is that I had no new cavities, although we know that may or may not be true since dentistry is not a science.  The even better news is that my old medical crush, Dr. Clauss, DDS, is aging as gracefully as ever.  And the best news is that I don't have to have those anxiety dreams where I go and Dr. Clauss tells me all of my teeth need to come out and it's going to cost six million dollars.

The bad news is that from having to stretch my wee dainty already winter-chapped mouth open wide enough for him to fit his man hands in there to see how much damage I am doing to my molars by grinding, I got a small cut in the side of my mouth which has turned into a cold sore.

(Yes, I am part of the 80% of the US population who gets cold sores--although other web sources seem to suggest 80% of us have been exposed and only 15-30% of us actually get cold sores.  Anyway, I am one of those people.  Stop reading my blog if you are horrified at this point.  Go ahead, close that window and mutter "leper" under your breath.)

Yes, it is true that I was running a fever of 102° over the weekend and maybe my immune system was a little compromised.  So, it's not really all because I went to the dentist.

But assigning causality for my health conditions is even less of a science than dentistry.

Anyway, it only hurts when I make my Carol Channing smile.