New Family Dentist
December 15, 2007
Written January 5, 2008
Dear Friends and Families,
It's not often that a diarist writes about a new dentist, but in this case it's warranted.
You see, on the plane over from Germany, I had a tooth crown come off and, while in Lynchburg, I had done a do-it-yourself repair: nothing fancy, just enough to eat with. I figured that, when I arrived in California, a little dental pain would be a great ice breaker for when I met Dr. Mamal Rahimi, our new family dentist and future son-in-law.
Things turned out well. Mamal briefed me on what he would do: some examination, including film-less high-tech x-rays, some poking and prodding, and then remove and replace the crown. The only hang up was that my temporary glue worked so well that he decided we might as well leave my amateur repair in place. Worked for me! (I think it also worked for Mamal because he was all smiles after successful non-operation on a future father-in-law.)
That left us just enough time for him to show off his high tech crown-maker, in case the need arises again. This is a great gadget that allows him to design, build, and install a crown in a couple hours. No more of the two-week process of fit, make an imprint, send the mold to a lab, get the crown made and returned, and final fitting and gluing. Maybe this is common place now, but I'd not seen such a slick solution for any of my dozen or so crowns.
After the office tour, we went to dinner and discovered that Los Gatos, our old home town, has more restaurants than residents and more cars than streets - or parking places. Los Gatos had always been an "in" place, with trendy and traditional dining as well as unbelievable real estate prices. Ten years ago, we had moved out because it was too perfect and we wanted adventure, "off the beaten path". Kiev and Pommersfelden have proven to be off the path, at least the one crossing downtown Los Gatos.
This evening, and indeed this visit, gave me an opportunity to see the plus and the minus of our choice for living far away. On the one hand, we very much prefer the quiet life of rural Bavaria to the crowds and pressures of Silicon Valley. On the other, we always miss friends and, especially, family. Now we have even more family to miss, I suppose.
Take care and be careful what you wish for, brush after every meal, floss often, and don't be afraid of the dentist. He's really nice.
John and Marianne
ps: Later in the week, while Mamal was stuck in bed with a bad back, Marianne, Gabby, and I had the pleasure of a guided tour of Persian food from Zohreh Rahimi, Mamal's charming mom. I suppose the next time we get together will be in Maui, for the late May wedding.