On Gold Teeth

On Gold Teeth is a short essay by Karl Jones on a comments forum at Boing Boing. It reads in full:

On Gold Teeth

I love my dentist and her assistants, no problem. But I remember once asking my regular dental assistant a question:

"If money were not an object, would gold be a superior to ceramic as a filling material?"

The assistant – who was a seasoned vet, and a smart cookie, with whom I had good rapport – seemed unable to grasp what I was asking, although I asked several times.

She didn’t outright say "Why in the world would you do that, or even want to do that?", but neither did she answer my question. Not that she dodged my question, exactly, although there was an element of dodging. It was more like my question was incomprehensible to her, spoken in a language she didn’t know, and didn’t want to know or think about knowing. (She repeatedly used the word "cosmetic" in the manner of a talisman.)

I don’t recall that I got an answer to my question.

Personally, I think gold teeth look cool, and if it’s the superior material, and I have to have another dental filling, then I want gold.

Fiction cross-reference

• Gnomon algorithm
• Gnomon Chronicles

External links

• Comment @ Boing Boing comments forum