The Dental Exam

 The Dental Exam

    Jerry sat nervously in the dentist chair. The clock on the wall showed 9:13 am. The dentist came in and told Jerry that the first thing they would do would be to take x-rays of his teeth. Next, she started poking around Jerry’s mouth with her sharp, shiny metal instruments. Dr. Gonzalez told him that is would take just a few minutes to check and clean his teeth.

    Jerry’s mind started to race as he felt the tapping and scraping on his molars, which are the teeth in the back of the mouth. Was Dr. Gonzalez going to find any cavities? Jerry wondered if he had been eating too many foods with too much sugar. Jerry thought about what his dad told him about drinking soda, and how bad it was for his teeth. Jerry started to sweat in the dentist chair as the assistant came back in the room with his x-rays. Jerry tried to remember if he had been brushing his teeth every morning before going to school, and every night before going to bed.

    To Jerry, it seemed like it took forever. He had to keep his mouth open for a long time. He felt drool leaking out of the side of his mouth. The paste Dr. Gonzalez used to clean his teeth tasted really bad, like medicine. “That’s it”, Dr. Gonzalez finally said with a smile, “No cavities.”

    Relieved it was over, Jerry looked up at the clock again. It was 10:02 am. It seemed like the appointment had taken all day. He thought he’d be going back home now, but as he got in the car with his mom, she said, “Great! I can get you back to school in time for you to take your spelling test,”

(c)2016 Henry Anker