Teeth

I really like teeth. They're really important, but at the same time this little drawing is hilarious, because it's true. Teeth are creepy, but what's really odd is when parents keep the teeth of their children long after the Tooth Fairy dropped by to leave a little somethin' somethin'.

When I was in junior high or high school I found this little wooden case shaped like a tooth where I used to put my knocked/fallen out teeth. I found it in my mother's random drawer, you know, the one's where mother's just toss whatever it is in their hands that they don't want in their hands anymore in. It was strange to me, seeing those teeth. I can remember there being more than four. It's weird though, what sort of attachment could my mom have fostered with my baby teeth?

I think it would infinitely more odd if my mom kept the "adult" teeth that could have fallen out. Lucky for me, my big teeth have stayed relatively in the same place for the last decade or so.

I know a few people that have a fake tooth or two, so now, sometimes I wonder if what I'm seeing is actually what was originally there. Veneers are weird, but for some people definitely necessary. My best friend had to get some of her teeth shaved down and the dentist placed caps on them for various reasons. One of my college friends simply didn't like the way her teeth were so she got veneers on the front four. And another girl I know had a tooth die on her, so she had it replaced. If it were fifty years or a hundred years before today those girls would have to just deal. Our culture is so complex.