Remembering My Mom (And Grandpa...) While At The Dentist

 Funny how something can bring back memories. Case in point, going to the dentist. As I sat there waiting for the cleaning to begin, I was reminded of my mother. Not because she was a dentist or involved in the dental industry in any way, but because of something she said.

"When I die, I want to have all my teeth."

You may think that's an odd thing to say, and in a way, I agree. Of all the things you want to have when you die, I think teeth might not be something you'd consider. 

Then again, you'd have to know the time in which my mother lived to better understand.

My mom was born in 1931, just as the Great Depression was starting. She live in rural Idaho where they didn't have much. My mother recounted to us her memories of when they hooked up both electricity and indoor plumbing into the family home. That right there is enough to blow your mind. Not many in America can even comprehend living in a home without indoor plumbing or electricity.

She did both.

There's something else people in her day dealt with that few today would understand...

Losing your teeth.

I have few memories of my grandfather, my mother's father. He was the only grandparent I met. My father's parent passed away in the 1950s and my mother's mother died the year after I was born. No, Grandpa Knight was it for me. He was a dairy farmer living in the same home where my mother grew up. He had a kind smile, a gruff laugh, and prickly whiskers on his face. He lived in the coldest place on earth and passed away when I was ten-years old.

And, he had a full set of dentures. He used to take them out and show us--in my opinion--just to see the expression on his grandkids's faces. He wasn't alone having lost all his teeth. I have not done any research, but I know many people had dentures back then. We're fortunate enough to live in an era where dental health has improved greatly since those days. Considering the world in which my mother lived, it makes sense for her to want her own teeth when she died.

My mother passed away sixteen year this upcoming July. I'm happy to say, she got her wish. Funny how sitting in a dental chair waiting for the jibs and jabs can dig up some wonderful and bittersweet memories.