A Magician Dentist and My Dental Adventures
My dear cousin, Olivia Masry, has been my dentist ever since we landed in New York close to fifty years ago. She’s a gentle and an amazing dentist, and one of the kindest of people. However, she does not extract teeth. My two top front teeth have experienced several mishaps over the years. The first time was when I fell into a ditch in my early twenties. I loosened the teeth and separated my lower lip. They fixed my teeth and stitched my lower lip, which gave me a pouty look for a good while. About five years ago, I went to a Chinese eatery with Kelly and his friend. When my meal arrived, I hungrily bit into it. I did not expect Chinese food to have any bones. I was famished, and I bit hard. To my horror, my two front teeth gave way! Immediately, I called Olivia. It was the weekend. God bless her, she asked me to drive to Ossining right there and then. She capped them and stuck them together. She warned me not to bite with them, otherwise I would have to face the consequences. I was very careful not to, and I did not. However, I am obsessed with flossing and brushing between the teeth. Just before Passover, a part of my cap fell off. A very inconvenient time to act up. My poor Olivia, she needed me during Passover like she needed a hole in the head!
“Would anything happen if I came after Passover?” I asked.
“No,” she replied. “But don’t drag it too long!”
I did not. The next time I went, after taking X-rays and poking into my mouth, she sighed and told me four of my teeth had to be extracted. I could not have implants since my jaw bones are too weak. We needed to find someone to extract them.
I told you that Olivia does NOT extract teeth, but Kelly’s friend Sean Ganjian is a dentist who does. It was arranged that he would perform the oral surgery. Last night, I tossed and turned all night long. I could not imagine how I would feel. I had heard of two cases where, when teeth were extracted, people went into a coma. My brother also had a horrific experience. He had been in danger of losing his life. I got up and paced around. I read, I listened to music. I reasoned with myself not to be silly. I finally fell asleep. It seemed that not too many minutes later when someone beeped me from Europe. I jumped up! I peered at my cell phone and groaned. Someone had sent me some photos. It was just past 3:30 a.m. I buried the cell phone deep under my covers. But I was up. I decided to cook and do laundry, just in case… Nine o’clock, I was ready to go. My appointment was just noon. I pretended to act unconcerned. Kelly took me. The last time I saw Sean, he was in his twenties. This man had grey hair and looked mature. I looked at him and then I looked at Kelly closely. I looked at him as if he was a stranger. My son also was grey-haired and mature! Sean seemed to sense my unease. He spoke of times gone by to make me relax. As he spoke, he dabbed something on my gums, then anesthetized my jaw. Ten minutes later, the teeth were gone, and no pain! Soon we were home. I felt well enough to go about my daily chores! Sean is a true magician. I was truly impressed by him!
Thank you, Ola joon! Thank you, Sean!
Should anyone need a very capable dentist in Queens, I highly recommend Sean Ganjian in Rego Park. Tel. 718.897.8900