Just Stuff jj by Jan W You know it's been a while since you've been to see your friendly neighborhood dentist when his office has to call and tell you you're past-due for your annual appointment, which you missed last year . . . Well, that's what happened to me at the beginning of the summer. I was put on the spot; I could no longer feign forgetfuness and put it off. I was able, however, to come up with several other excuses for not going, until a few weeks ago. I finally had to break down and muster up enough courage to go in for a check-up. Now, I don't have anything against dentists, personally. I know some very fine people who happen to be fang fixers. I just don't like people poking around in my oral orafice; I don't like the shots, the drills, the pickers,, the pokers, the, pullers, the pushers, the tweezers, the tweakers, the prongs or the tongs! ! ! The date was set for a Monday when the dreaded day and hour arrived I found myself perched on my dentist's fancy recliner, upside down, reading a bum-persticker strategically stuck to the ceiling, it said: "EAT CANDY support your local dentist!" The dentist filled my , mouth with his sparkling chrome utensils. He poked and pierced, and hummed and hawed, then ordered an ex-ray-version of my portrait, which elicited more hums and haws. When he came in with his report, I was prepared. I expected him to tell me that my last years of brushing with an toothpaste had been to no avail, and that I had 15 cavities. I was wrong. "You only have one . itty bitty cavity," he said, as his perfect, bright-white teeth sparkled in the light. "But," (I knew it!!!) he said, "we really should do something about your wisdom teeth." The last few times I had been to see the. good doctor we had talked about "taking care" of my wisdom teeth, but we had never done anything. This time he sounded serious. I told him I would, be starting school shortly, and suggested we do it over Christmas break. He suggested Tuesday. You know dentists they have an "in" with the appointment maker. He won! "And while we're getting those wisdom teeth, we'll just fill that little cavity." Usually getting a cavity filed, even an itty, bitty one, is a major accomplishment for me. I worry about it for days . . . But there's something about the thought of having one's wisdom teeth pulled that tends to push little cavities clear to the back of the mind. The itty bitty hole in one small tooth didn't have me worried a bit! After much happy gas, several jabs in the jar of novacane, more gas and more novacane I was ready. I don't know where the saying "As easy as pulling teeth" comes from, but it's a blatent, out and out lie. There's nothing easy about it. After much drilling and filling, pulling and pushing, "wailing and whining and gnashing of teeth," I had zero cavities, 3 large, gaping holes where I once stored my wisdom, and one still-frozen, but going-to-be-sore-mouth, but I was finished. I might have to have a cavity filled now and then, I might even need an occasional tooth pulled, but wisdom teeth are "one time Charlies!" Thank Heaven!!!