Every time a person lies their teeth become a little more unhealthy. You work as a dentist and your client has impossibly clean teeth.
Dentistry was the honorable man's work, I always thought. Yet, in many ways, I was a fraud of my own. Every dentist was. We all wore dentures because by the time we got settled in our careers, our teeth had rotted to the core! The entire industry was set up on lies. Brush your teeth, floss, use mouth wash...all of these things will keep your teeth looking fine. The ultimate irony of deception was at play here. The only thing that kept your teeth looking good was true, genuine honesty. I saw it every day. Everyone has a story. Some people with the seemingly most genuine personalities had a few cavities that told stories of some forbidden pasts.
When I met Sandra, I swore she must've been a nun or something. In my career, aside from dentures, I had never seen such perfectly straight, white teeth. So clean, not a cavity in sight.
"Wow, you have a beautiful set of teeth," I glanced.
"I've always kept up with my dental hygiene, I get a cleaning every year!" Sandra smiled, flashing her charm.
"If you don't mind me asking, what do you do Sandra?"
A nun, surely. That's all she could be. "I'm a State Senator," she let out a chuckle.
"Now, now, don't lie to me. It's not good for your teeth!"
"Oh, I'm not lying." She showed me her business card. "I don't represent the district you live in but I am, I've been a Senator for three years now. I come out here for my dental work because you have the best reviews."
"Three years?" I couldn't believe it. Certainly the one profession besides dentistry itself that was full of dentures and she had magnificent teeth.
"Yes," she grinned. "It's not easy work. I'm sure you know, but us politicians don't exactly have the best of reputations."
"No, they don't." I was stunned. "So, how do you do it? How do you keep honest around so much corruption?"
"Some people run for the power. Some do it for the money. If either of those are your motives, you're bound to corruption. It's not just true for politicians, it's any position. Corruption doesn't always mean taking bribes or payouts. Anything that goes against your moral integrity really is corruption. I face a lot of adversaries in the state's government and the population but I sleep well at night."
"well, that is certainly admirable." I responded.
"So, why have you gotten into dentistry?" she questioned.
It was for the money. I have a boat I own and a charming suburban home. I have a wife and children that I'm sure love me for me and not the gifts I give them. I honestly hate dealing with these patients day in and day out and their rotten teeth. But I get paid well for what I do. I suppose I don't sleep as well at night as she does.
"I have a genuine joy in helping people, you know?" I said, as I felt one of my only real teeth left in my mouth, way in the back, throb. "Just strongly passionate about people. Like you."
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