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Minds Without Borders

A thoughtful look at how culture, society, politics, media and economics affect us all.

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I Only Get My Teeth Cleaned On ’80s Day

Trying to talk a dentist into playing good music is like … well … pulling teeth

Michelle Teheux
Minds Without Borders
3 min readJun 21, 2023

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I’ve developed a fear of the dentist — but not in the way you think.

I’m pretty tough, pain-wise. I always request we skip the novocaine unless they’re drilling deep because I dislike dealing with numbness afterward. I laugh in the face of root canals. For tooth cleanings, I beg the hygienist to dig her sharp little pointy tools as far into my gums as she can. I believe it feels refreshing.

But do not, for the love of God, play country, rap or hip-hop while I’m helpless in that chair. I will lose my shit. (I am told there’s a difference between rap and hip-hop, so I listed both, but I have no idea what that difference is.)

My heart fell when I checked in for my last appointment.

Something twangy was playing. It made me think of southern-style sweet tea — the kind so sweet it makes your teeth hurt, which would be appropriate for a dental visit, I guess.

It also made me think of women whose men done them wrong. And men whose women done them wrong. Lots of beer and pickup trucks.

Minds Without Borders
Minds Without Borders

Published in Minds Without Borders

A thoughtful look at how culture, society, politics, media and economics affect us all.

Michelle Teheux
Michelle Teheux

Written by Michelle Teheux

Lover of literature. Former newspaper editor. Fascinated by everything. Contact: [email protected]. To buy me a coffee:

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