Trippin'
If there were some kind of ceremony to recognize exceptional feats of oral hygiene and I happened to win an award, the first person I would thank in my acceptance speech would be my mom, the original monarch of oral hygiene. Then I’d have to thank Thomas McGuire, DDS, hippie dentist extraordinaire and author of the book that changed my mouth, The Tooth Trip.
My mom got me this book when I was twelve, and (as I detailed in my introductory post) Dr. McGuire’s vivid imagery of cavity-causing bacteria as skeezy little guys who shit and piss all over our teeth, thus causing decay, grodified me to such an extreme that I immediately began brushing and flossing religiously.
The book has a lot of really useful information on how to care for your teeth and why, but it’s also just a bizarre and quite hilarious read. The good doctor is apt to bust lines like “Flashlights are groovy and necessary to check out your own mouth,” “Dental floss is a trip to use, but a good one” and “Isn’t discovery far out?” Plus it’s full of photos of our hippie doctor, his hippie receptionist, all his hippie patients, and the many many plants in his office. And freaky illustrations of maniacal germs and happy anthropomorphic teeth.
In coming weeks, I’ll pick some choice excerpts of The Tooth Trip to share, and I’ll also attempt to track down Dr. McGuire and see if he’s still tripping on acid on the weekends and scraping plaque off the teeth of Bay Area hipsters during the week. If I can locate him, perhaps there will be a guest column. So let me know if you have any questions for the hippest, hippiest dentist in the history of publishing.
posted by E. | 9:45 PM
5 Comments:
He sounds so groovy, man. I love it.
Can't wait to hear more!
I thought of you the other day when my toddler insisted on flossing his teeth.
E., I keep meaning to tell you that our girls have entered a heavy-duty teeth brushing phase, where they not only insist upon brushing their own several times a day, but frequently suggest that I brush mine!
Punk ass kids.
Ah, DoctorMama, a child after my own heart. And your bairns, too, Feral Mom. (Though I don't necessarily celebrate their suggesting you brush your teeth. Then again, if our kids don't tell us, who will?)
Ah, thanks for the reminder. I have to make an appointment to get my teeth cleaned. I won't tell you how long it's been - wouldn't want you to come over here and kick my ass.
And I can't wait to get some far out dental advice from Dr. Groovy. Hope you can snag him for a guest post.
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