Teeth as White As Snow
Dr. Clara Lee「歯のおはなし」54回
Lately, we have been getting a lot of snow, don’t you agree? It certainly is pretty when it comes down white and clean. It’s only after a few hours that the snow gets dirty and grey. Right now, as I look outside my office window, the grey snow in Manhattan is already starting to melt. Back in Queens, where I live, there is still a lot of snow in my yard and it stays white and pretty longer. I guess it’s because there are less cars around in Queens so that the snow stays white longer. Eventually, the snow around my house will get less white before it melts as well. As with snow, teeth get less white over time. Some may look grey, some may look yellow. But no one’s teeth stay white as snow forever.
Last week, my patient brought in a present for me. In a little plastic bag, carefully wrapped up in a paper towel was a small white piece of something. He said, “I was eating breakfast and found this piece of tooth in my cereal bowl. Can you see where it came from? “
I opened the bag and carefully took out the wrapped paper towel. I opened it as carefully as I could as if it were a precious jewel inside. Both he and I almost bumped heads as we both moved in closer to look at the piece. It was a smooth, hard, white piece. Upon first look, it certainly looked like it could have been part of his tooth. But as I picked it up and examined it, it occurred to me that this piece could never have been part of my patient’s teeth. But before I said anything, just to be sure, I had him sit in my chair for a look inside his mouth. Sure enough, there was nothing missing. I sat him back up and gave him back the little white piece. “This is not from your mouth,” I told him confidently. “Then what is it?”, he asked . I answered, “I’m not sure, but it’s not a piece of tooth and it certainly did not come from you. I think it’s a chip from your cereal bowl in the morning that ended up in your mouth.”
Like I always say, being a dentist is like being a detective. My dear readers, how did I know even before looking in his mouth that this little white piece could not possibly be part of his tooth? The piece he brought in to me was as white as new fallen snow. His own teeth are…. not. I asked him to check his cereal bowl when he gets home and I can almost guarantee that he will find a chip on the side broken off. I did not tell him that my biggest clue was the big difference in color. Teeth, of course, come in different shades of color and as long as they are healthy and if he doesn’t mind the color, it’s fine with me. Everyone’s teeth does not need to as white as snow, or in this case, as white as a cereal bowl.
（次回は４月第２週号掲載）
〈プロフィル〉Dr. Clara Lee ニューヨーク大学歯学部卒業。ニューヨーク大学ブルックデール病院でチーフレジデンス修了。13年以上に及ぶ臨床経験は一般歯科、コスメティック、インプラントを含む。インビザライン認定医。Waterside Dental Care院長として古山医師と共に、多くの日本人患者さんを治療。Dentistryをこよなく愛している。
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