I remember when I had baby teeth, do you? They quickly became cavity prone. It was probably my diet during the Great Depression with a lack of calcium that caused it. Those back molars really hurt as they tried to poke through the gum areas. Of course, that meant the baby teeth had to come out before the permanent teeth came in. The most embarrassing time was when the baby front teeth were pushed out. It took a while for the second ones to appear.

When they finally did and I had a full set, it was disappointing to see how crooked they were. Then it didn't take long for cavities to appear in my molar back teeth. I never brushed my teeth, just rubbed dry salt across them with a rag. Not being able to afford a dentist visit, they just crumbled away until snags of broken teeth prevented me from chewing on that side. Abscesses appeared on my upper gum line. They were painful.

I remember the one-time Mother took me to a dentist in Concord to have a cavity filled. That was so painful, I vowed to never see a dentist again. I hadn't known what to expect. The noise and heat of his spinning drill was almost more than what I could stand. The fillings did last, however.

By the time I was married and we were living on Lee Road near Michigan Center, my teeth were a mess. Pug was first to have his teeth pulled and dentures fitted. His teeth were worse than mine. I remember before he had his teeth pulled, Pug chewed his fingernails down to the nubbins. After that, they grew long. I remember him coming home and eating a jelly doughnut with blood smearing it and his chin as he ate. He never did learn to use his bottom set. So, they just lingered in a drawer until forgotten.

I went to the same dentist soon after that. The dentist pulled all the molars on one side, top and bottom. When the gums healed, the other side was done. Then he had me wait six months for my gums to heal. That helped my appearance, since when I smiled or talked, my front teeth suggested that there were more teeth in there. One problem during that time. Snags of connective tissue worked their way up to my gum line. I would pull them out with tweezers.

Finally, the time came for the front teeth to be pulled. They were, all at once. I had a fitting for dentures not long before that. Teeth were pulled, dentures inserted in my mouth and I went home to learn how to talk and eat with my set of new teeth. It wasn't easy. Finally, I learned to use my cheek muscles to keep them in place. At first, they wanted to flop all around my mouth. What a gagging mess. But finally, everything fell into place. I have never had a problem eating or keeping them in place.

There was one problem. The dentist told me they were unbreakable. I dropped them in the bathroom sink while cleaning them with a toothbrush. The ends of the front teeth broke off. Back at the dentist, I was scolded for not being more careful with them. The dentist filed them down, refusing to replace the broken teeth. For years, I tried not to smile too broadly and was careful not to chew down on anything like an apple or ear of corn. There is a photo from that time showing my filed off set of teeth. What memories!