Thursday, 27 November 2025

To brighten the day

 

To brighten the day

Off to the dentist again today. I seem to have spent a good deal of time there this year, The porcelain crown was fitted a few weeks ago– almost hammered into place, I felt – but today’s appointments were for the dentist and the hygienist.

I leave the dentist feeling somewhat chastened – my mouth is not as sparkling as it should be, would be if I paid more attention to the tooth-scrubbing ritual. Vishal is far too polite to say that, of course, but the criticism is implicit as he tells his dental nurse what to type into my record.

On the other hand, Emily, the hygienist, is positively complimentary as she sets to. She’s young and patient and charming, which is just as well as I now have to see her every four months instead of six, to increase the dental servicing.

It was bitterly cold this morning, a heavy frost battling with extremely bright sunshine in an azure sky. Outside the dental practice is a magnificent display of geraniums (actually pelargoniums) which must be very sheltered as they are still flaunting a dazzling spectacle.

The photographs, taken hastily with my iPhone, do not do them justice. They provide a wonderful welcome and a tender farewell to all who visit.

 


43 comments:

  1. The flowers are beautiful. I see my hygienist 4x/year for a cleaning. Now that I'm old, I want my teeth to be extra clean so I keep them until I'm dead and gone. I also use an electric tooth brush. I think it makes brushing easier and more thorough. Good luck with your teeth!

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I agree - an electric toothbrush is so much better than a manual. 😁

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  2. Your visit sounds brisk but brightened by both kind care and those unexpectedly defiant pelargoniums greeting you in the winter sun.

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    Replies
    1. Flowers can make such a difference in life.

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  3. Nothing like a splash of colour to brighten a dull day - but it works very well on a sunny one, too.

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  4. Good luck - and lovely photos! xx

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  5. My pink blooms are in the greenhouse and there are loads of flowers. I'm glad you found cheer in those outside the dentist.

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    1. I love pelargoniums - the colour, the scent, the resilience.

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  6. I can remember when many people had false teeth, less so now I think. So good luck with your next visits and keep on brushing ;) ;)

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    1. False teeth are not so prevalent now, though so many people have difficulty finding an NHS dentist that they may become more common again.

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  7. Not sure how your new porcelain filling was made but i recently got two sort of turned out in the dental treatment room on a fancy milling machine (nice piece of engineering) and glued into place. Best fit fillings i have ever had.

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    1. Mine was created elsewhere, but glued securely in place - good colour match, too, not that I shall be displaying it!

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  8. It might be better to have all your teeth pulled out before having a pair of dentures fitted. Then your perfectly regular teeth will be as white and bright as knickers washed with "Omo". I wonder why dentists don't offer this alternative these days - probably to do with their profits.

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    1. Dentistry appears to be very expensive, but only because we don't pay full whack for medical treatment.

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  9. The geraniums are a beautiful sight to see on what can be an unpleasant visit.

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    1. They're been flowering for months. Normally, I wouldn't notice, but this year has been different.

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  10. Pretty geraniums. I never liked going to the dentist but the dentist himself was a very nice man. I actually was a year behind him in high school

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    1. That must have been an interesting coincidence - one of the joys of living in a contained community.

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  11. I went to the dentist yesterday and a filling is planned and hygienist too - I fear both - and the expense!

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    1. Good luck! It's wonderful when it's finished.

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  12. Finding a good dentist that you like takes time and when you find one, keep them.

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  13. The naughty side of me wants to tell the good dental folk to just do their job and keep the mild telling off to themselves......... but of course the good side nods and gurgles ( can't talk - mouth is jacked open! ) then coughs up the exorbitant fee whilst humbly helping myself to a weeny free tube of Corsodyl toothpaste!
    Alison in Devon x

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  14. I hope to stick with annual visits.

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    1. Our plan covers biannual checks and cleaning. I suppose it will cover my more frequent visits . . . 😳

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  15. Hi Janice - delightful flowers - pelargoniums or geraniums ... oh that smell from touching them ... dentists - my teeth are a constant drain on my life - and up until my Ma died they were fine ... things go haywire for whatever reason. Good luck and better to go more often I think - cheers Hilary

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    1. It is odd how things go off-course following a period of intense worry/caring for others. It's as though the body has held off bothering us until we have time to pay it attention!

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  16. Here I was hoping to brighten my day with a flower post, but then I couldn't get away fast enough at seeing the word dentist. I'm due for a visit to mine tomorrow :-) xxx

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    1. It's better to go than not- or so I tell myself. If only I'd taken that advice decades ago instead of hiding . . .

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  17. Dentists. Can't live with them and can't live without them. Wow to those geraniums. We won't see geraniums here for 5 or 6 more months!

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    1. We see them now for months on end - the growing period seems to extend year by year.

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  18. Such lovely colour to brighten the day ...

    All the best Jan

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  19. So your post sent me searching for the difference between geraniums and pelargoniums and it was nice to finally figure it out. I have geraniums outside, planted by a landscaper nearly forty years ago, and receive pelargoniums in hanging baskets for Mother's Day each year. Thank you for the nudge to figure it out.

    Dental repairs are one of those rare things we are simultaneously grateful for and dread with a passion! I am recoiling in sympathy with you.

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    1. Lovely gifts at all times. I feel quite sorry for dentists, but then they chose their profession.

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  20. Those flowers are such an unexpected delight this time of the year.

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  21. Lovely flowers
    I hate going to the dentist. I try my hardest with my teeth but it never seems to be good enough. My son who basically just brushes never has a cavity. It seems so unfair!

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    1. Life sucks sometimes - and so do teeth! 😁

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  22. I sympathsize with you about dental visits. I dread them even when nothing needs doing. Your hygienist sounds lovely though.

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