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85 A VERY SHORT TOOTH TALE May 7 Iconsulted my dentist yesterday. Two of my teeth, one upper and one just below it, seemed damaged. They hurt some of the time. When I drank or ate something cold, the upper tooth hurt even more. What was the problem? I like my dentist, but I hate having any dental work. I even hate the sound of a polishing drill when I have my teeth cleaned. So I dreaded a diagnosis with words like “root canal,” “abscess,” or “infection.” My dentist tapped and poked. He blew cold air on the troubled spots (ouch!). He took an X-ray. He peered with his mirror and tapped some more. “What we’re seeing here,” he finally concluded, “is caused by grinding or clenching your teeth.” He looked at me. I looked at him. He sees James too, and he knows what is happening. “Oh, right,” I said. I went home. ...

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