How I Spent Last Tuesday, by Bentley

I was shocked when Andy came home from the dentist in just under an hour this morning! I was just there last Tuesday, and it was a whole day process. Makes me wonder if he even knows how lucky he is!

I had to skip breakfast before the dentist, for example. It wasn’t a big deal, but Andy seemed to think I was suffering, so… I might have played up the whole “starving, pathetic old dog” aspect a bit. I love when he fusses over me. To be clear, I’m not that old. I think it’s about ten, in human years. I know he worries about my age and the anesthesia, but he takes all the precautions to keep me safe. I don’t love the blood sample, or being squeezed and inspected for my physical exam, but that stuff does help me feel more confident about my health. Practically everybody I see at the dentist is around my age, if not older. I know that taking good care of your teeth helps to extend your lifespan, so I guess that makes sense.

You’re going to ask if I brush my teeth every day. I know I should, that’s what the vet says, but it’s honestly just too much for me and Andy. We might get it done once a week or so, which is better than not at all. I’ll be honest—I’m not the best boy during that—so it’s probably not entirely Andy’s fault we don’t get it done more often… although he is the one with the opposable thumbs.

Maybe if I brushed every day I wouldn’t ever need teeth pulled, but I’m not sure. Andy was kind of freaked out about that the first time, because I guess he has never left any of his teeth at the dentist. I think he also believed that you can tell when something needs to be pulled just by looking at it. Anyway, thank goodness he let me have it done, because toothaches are pretty awful. I never bother Andy with that, though; how would I even explain it? He used to think I would “stop eating” if my teeth started to bother me, but only a human would ever think that. No offense, buddy. At any rate, I feel a lot more comfortable after the bad ones are pulled out. I’ve had several teeth removed over the years, and I can still eat just fine without them.

I actually had a girlfriend who got all of her teeth pulled! Her people just kept trying to put off the procedure until it was too late to save any of them. Sad, I guess, but she has a brand-new personality since they did that—tons of energy and playing fetch 3 or 4 times a week. Apparently, no one realized just how bad she had it until afterwards.

I guess I get a little chatty when they give me a chance; I’ll tell you more about the actual visit next time.

Because you should really hear about vet dentistry straight from the horse’s mouth.

Get it?

Dr. M.S. Regan