Dentist Appointment

Yesterday I rode to my dentist appointment in the afternoon. Tenielle, the dental hygienist that I have been visiting for years at Doc Johnson's office snapped this manual exposure I set up for her of me in the chair right before the work started. Notice the vehicle that I arrived on, my little Lemond hanging from the tree outside the window. At F11 I feel that this image looks exactly like I do. Click on picture for more detail of my bike in the tree. Doc Johnson, a local cyclist and world traveler who has been known to do epic tandem tours with his wife around the globe has been my dentist since shortly after I started my career as a messenger in Charlotte. His office is right off the Stay Alive and altho he does not have a bike rack in front he has always allowed me to keep my cell phone in my pocket to give me the ability to direct courier work if the need should arise.

Along time ago, around the winter of 2001/2002 I was on the Stay Alive home after dark with a long ways ahead of me when I flatted. I pulled off onto the grass just off of the side walk and started the fix. A minute later Doc drove into the lot with a bike on the roof, rolled down the window and asked if I needed help. "Oh, it's you!", he exclaimed when he recognized my face. We chatted for a moment and he realized that I had everything I needed so he left as fast as he showed up.

The last time I rode in the 24hrs of Booty early on I came up to the scene of a solo rider who had just been hit and launched over the hood of a car. That's right an elderly lady auto viper pilot pulled out into the line of over 500 cyclists coming and tagged a rider. Sitting up right on the ground with blood on his legs and face was Doc Johnson. I immediately felt queasy knowing that there was 23 hours and change left to go. That feeling stayed with me all the way until around 0130hrs when I accidentally crossed the wheel of an amateur rider causing her to go down. That is a whole different post entirely. Doc survived the hit but did pack the ride in early to take time to fix his broken bike and tend to the wounds on his human form.

Doc went off on medical leave in early October to have Rotator Cuff Surgery. I have heard the rehabilitation part of this surgery is long so yesterday I was seen for my normal 6 month check up by his temporary replacement Dr. White. She saw me after the cleaning and found 2 cavities that I did not know I had. One on each of my upper back of wisdom teeth. The strange thing is that I have not had a filling since I was a kid. As I sat there with her hands in my mouth and listened to her tell Tenielle about my cavities I wondered why I could not feel them. I will have to go back and by some fillings in early January but thanks to good medical insurance provided by my employer I will only have to pay a little for the purchase. Are my cavities affecting the economy?