SMILE!!!!!!

 When you travel without a specific plan and decide to allow serendipity to be your guiding force, lots of wonderful things await.

Before leaving home, I was asked by a friend to describe a typical day,  the type that we have experienced over and over during our many trips to Italy. Hmmmm. I wasn't exactly prepared for the question but it wasn't much different from the one about what a "typical" day as a nurse in a corporation based in New York City consisted of.  When asked that, I would simply answer:  whatever or whomever comes through the door next. Talk about serendipity!

So, our days in Rome, so far have been filled with lots of shoulder shrugs and jaw drops. One can hardly go more than two steps before either reaction. It's Rome. You expect that kind of stuff. If you've been here, you know of what I speak. Rome is filled with adventures.

But, by expecting shoulder movements and jaw dropping, I had not anticipated my very untypical Roman adventure yesterday morning.

Last year, and I can remember the exact moment because we were sitting on a bench in Martina Franca in Puglia, a huge chunk of a molar tooth broke off, leaving a benign but large open area where the back of the tooth had once resided.  From the front, you would not suspect that what you saw was merely a stage prop of sorts. But my tongue persisted in proving that the rear of the molar was gone. And so, when I next visited Dr. Russo (note the ethnic name) in South Yarmouth, he cordially invited me to have the whole tooth extracted by his next-door neighbor, the oral surgeon. I decided to take my chances. The very thought of having a tooth pulled made me queasy. Couldn't I give birth to an eight pound baby instead? We did not argue. I did not make the yanking appointment and lived happily ever after with the hole and the tongue thing.

Do I need to tell you the next part of the story?

I had hardly unzipped my suitcase when the quiet hole became an area of great sensitivity. When touching the affected tooth made me unhappy. Never mind eating anything cold or hot. Never mind biting down at all on the left side of my mouth. 

So, with two whole months to go, I decided that being in a city might be the racer's edge in the area of getting the problem sorted.....the extraction accomplished. And, the search for a dentist, one I could trust and relate to, began. Shortly after, lo and behold, I found the name of an American-speaking pro named Dr. Shapiro (note the irony here) and I emailed on Saturday. Within a very short time, I received a return email. asking if Monday at 9:00 would work? You betcha'.

So, it just so happens that the apartment we are renting has an arrangement with an extremely nice young man who drove us here from the airport. Giovanni. Giovanni who is but a text message away and is "at our disposal".  He drives with the skill of a professional racer but oh so much smoother and calmer. 

At eight o'clock, Giovanni showed up with his black Mercedes and off we went through Roman rush hour (yes, they do rush on occasion) traffic, through the morning rain and off to my appointment. We arrived just early enough for a cappuccino with my new bestie (I wish I had put on some makeup), before he escorted me to the door of "The Smile Center" on the Piazza Vescovio and told me to take all the time needed.....he would be there when I was done.

Feeling very akin to Queen for the Day... with a toothache, I walked into the most, I mean THE most, futuristic, well-equipped and amazingly appointed dental office and was greeted by lovely staff who obviously knew how to run a practice and put patients at ease at the same time.

I could hardly wait to meet Dr. Shapiro and tell him about Dr. Russo. But, alas, the practice may have been his brainchild but this office is credited to Dott.ssa Lombardi Francesca. Doctor Lombardi, who gushed and exploded with happiness when I told her my impressions of her beautiful offices. Apparently, she designed the space. 

My first stop was the room in which a full X-ray of my mouth was performed. I almost thought I was going to have a mammogram! The machine was very similar. Next, the exam room where two huge t.v. screens already displayed my x-rayed oral cavity. I must admit, these were pretty scary looking but kind of fun at the same weird time. 

Enter the dentist. Who did tell me his name but I forgot. Nice, nice, nice man. Totally put me further at ease. Didn't say "Mamma Mia" once! Explained the options and disagreed with Dr. Russo. Save the tooth!  I should have known. Italians are known for their use of every body part of an animal. They are not wasteful and they do respect elders. So....a thorough cleaning of the open space, a "big" filling, and I was back in business. He promised that this treatment of the root canal and filling would hold me until June when I might want to see Dr. Russo again.

As promised, Giovanni was waiting and the rain had stopped. I was home by 11:00 and ready to take on another full set of new adventures. Maybe some of those will now include chewing on both sides of my mouth? 

Buon giornata ! (oh, in addition to my lovely ride, I got a few language tips and some sightseeing in).