HE’S really cute, very
gentle, and he would
rather die than hurt
me.

He is sensitive, caring, and
smart, laughs at most of my
jokes, and really tries to con-
nect with muy kids. You know,
if it wasn’t for the fact that he
teels the need to sterilize
everything I touch and he
wears rubber gloves cach
time we meet, I would say we
have the perfect relationship.

Wondering whom this ter-
tific guy is?

He's my family dentist,
and last week my two boys
and I made our half-yeariy
visit to have our tceth cleaned
and see the man. We had
scheduled our appointments
so that the kids each had a
half-hour, back-to-back teeth
cleaning, while | had my full
hour deal.

My hygienist is a real
communicator, whaz you’d
call one: 6f those Chatty
Cathy’s. She's nice, although
sometimes I really wish she
would stop talking for a

‘minute, get her hands out of
- my mouth, and Ict rae say a
word or two.

matibo

vear full of sports injuries, |
must say E never realized that
there were so many bones in
the human foot.

Anyway, my dentist is a
thoroughly modern guy, with
a thoroughly modern office.
If my hygienist would ever
stop vapping at me T could
tarn via television set that is
mounted for patients and lis-
ten through headphones to
Geraldo or Oprah or even
watch soap operas.

One time when I was hav-
ing a root canal | watched a
whole episode of General
Hospital, and T'll cell you
what, with all the tragic stuf?
that happened on that soap
opera, my littl: root canal
seemed pretty insignificant.

No doubt about it, my
dentist Ross is a far ery from

Heetor the Horribie, our old
family dentist when I was
growing up in Prince Rupert.
Hector was in all likeli-
hood a decent guy, but he
was a brutal dentist. [ don’t
know what was worse, the
pain he reckless
with his drills and pliers, or
his mind-numbing halitosis.
Heetor didn’t believ

when dealing with the tiny,
rootless teeth of children, and
PE had more than one horren-
deus experience ia bis torture
chamber.

Like the time he pulled a
baby tooth of mine which
crumbled as he yanked it out,
and in the process of digging
out all the little rooth bits he
shattered the permanent
tooth underneath ic.

Eventually it too had to
be pulled, but thank heaven I
had moved to the Lower
Mainland and a dentist who
believed in freezing.

And the time Hector
decided to put a silver filling
in between my nvo lower
front tecth without freezing.
I abour went through the
roof during that session; my
mother had to hold me down

while the drill screamed and
whined and ground away at
my tiny

One time Hector dropped
the freezing needle in my big
brother's lip and had +o pive
him a couple of stitches to
stop the bleeding.

At that point I staried
to believe that maybe frees-

ing wasn’t the way to go after

all.

And Heetor didn’t believe
in giving little prizes to his
patient, not like my dentist
does. At our appointment last
week the hygienist gave my
12-year-old son a tiny squirt
gun when he was done, and
in true commando form he
immediately filled it up and
squirted his older brother,
still trapped in the dentist's
chair.

I could hear the commo-
tion and didn’t have to wait
Jong, myself to see what was
going on. The kid was in my
room in a flash, his big
brother hollering i in protest.
He refilled the gun, and pro-
ceeded to squirt both the
hygienist and me, giggling
mischievously.

As my mouth was full of
that disgusting Huoride goo

atal accident photo ‘insensitive’

: Dear Editor:
~” Re: Train mishap kills man,
Friday, Sept. 4.

My husband and I are
“offended by. the disrespectful
and “insensitive picture on
your front page. -

Why do you print the type
of: picture that your: readers
have. repéatedly ‘told you is
offensive? There is not one of

s ‘who needs to sce “the

remains” of another human
being. I’m sure we're not
alone in wanting to sce our
local paper exhibit a higher
standard of journalism — after
all this is only a little commu-
nity paper, and pictures like
this one reduce you to the
rank of sleazy tittle rabloid.
Also, flippant comments
such as “what happens when
man gets in the way of a train”

are inappropriate and insensi-
tive to the family of this poor
man.

Please set a better example
for the young people who
read your paper and who are
constantly besieged = with
media images of violence and
death. By all means, tell chem
of the dangers inherent in sit-
uations such as the one to
which this man fell victim, but

THE CORPORATION OF THE DISTRICT OF

WEST VANCOUVER
TAX SALE

quired to publish the legal description and street address, if any, of properties
u ib: ect to Tax Sale. The 1998 Tax Sale will be held in the council Chambers of

PARCELG 5

E

13
$3
29

5
1095 & 1096 & 1078 A
806 & 866

Plan
7413
15985
17 12661
12 $799

6 10299
27 12877
55 VR2271
11S LMS445
21 4155
15 7798

4 10556
15 1162!

AOF4

STREEV ADDRESS

5520 Partheron Place
5650 Westport Road
4289 Morgan Crescent
3937 Westridge Avenue
3825 Southridge Avenue
2101-2203 Bellevue Avenue
3D-328 Taylor Way

871 20th Street

625 Glenmarvon Road
737 Southborough Drive
640 Ballantree Road

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS:
Purchasers of tax sale preperties should be aware that they will NOT have the right
: to receive title or possession until after one year following the date of the tax sale.
During this period, the registered owner of the property has the right to redeem the
property from the tax sale thus cancelling the sale. Propertics sold at Tax Sale are
subject to the Property Purchase Tax.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE TAX DEPARTMENT AT

925-7032.

please find a way to do it thar
shows you have some heart.
Wendy Lucas

North Vancouver

USPCNSION FORKS ;
wal bam ‘

Friday, September 18, 1998 ~ North Shore News — 7

- Dating the guy with rubber gloves

soak your teeth in, 1 was
powerless to hop out of my
chair and deal with the beast.

But I desperately wanted

ze the kid, who
1 room To room
squirting his brother and me
(and a few unwitting passers-
by tow) with reckless joy and
impressive accuracy.

In a desperate attempt to
level the bartle field I
grabbed the gizmo that the
hygicnist uses to squirt either
water or air while cleaning
patients’ teeth, bur there
wasn’t enough water pressure
to reach the boy and I ended
up getting water all over
myself and the chatty hygien-
ist.

When the dentist was

waren
‘approved

finally finished with me, ] was
a little damp, unbearably
hungry (why is it that the
minute they pur fluoride on
your teeth and tell you not to
eat anything for a half hour
you are instantly ravenous?)
and ready to rumble with the
water pistolero,

“That's ir”, | snapped at
the lad. “You die.”

He sprinted out to the
car, his older brother chasing
after him for a little justice.
My dentist laughed good
naturedly and escorted me to
the door.

“See you in six months,
Shannon” he said.

And I just know I can
count on him to keep that
date.

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