-Take You to The (teeth) Cleaners -
I went to have my teeth cleaned yesterday. I, like most others, do not particularly enjoy the scraping of teeth and poking of gums, but, I would never want to be a teeth cleaner! I know that the correct term is "Dental Hygienist," but that euphemistic title just blurs the picture of what these people actually have to do for a living. I could stand to be an "Automotive Hygienist," a "Pool Hygienist" or even the "Hygienist" that cleans out the High School bathrooms. I could not go to work each day knowing that I would spend the entire day picking the crud out from between the teeth of people who have not flossed in six months. Some people are lucky enough to have a window view in their office, others have a cubicle with family photos to look at while they work, the teeth cleaners just hope that their client has brushed their teeth and cleaned their nostrils before reclining in the chair. Let's face it, they have a lousy job with a lousy view.
I have a very gentle (rhymes with dental) hygienist, she never hurts me. She is always ready when I arrive at the office, I never have to wait. While in the chair this last time I thought, "how can I show my appreciation, I can't tell her that she's doing a good job because my mouth is full of sharp instruments, hey maybe if she had a tip jar, that's it." Sure, why not tip the cleaner, you tip the people in the restaurant that bring you food (that is now between your teeth)!. Okay, so these folks are professionals, it is not customary to tip people in this working class. Many of them will become dentists, no longer limited to scraping and poking, their job will expand to drilling, grinding and, yes, actually knocking people's teeth out with a chisel! Okay, so dentist's job is not so appealing either.
These folks deserve some appreciation for what they are doing for us, if everyone thought like me, we would all have dirty teeth, if any at all. Let's all show some appreciation next time we go to the dentist's office, and don't forget to drop a dollar or two in the tip jar!