“Derb–I thoroughly enjoyed your piece on dentistry; although I’m not old
enough to have endured anything like the sorts of practices you describe, I
have had more than my share of work done, culminating in three crowns
installed and two wisdom teeth drawn in the last six months. Lately I’ve
been tempted to
follow my grandfather’s example: In the 30’s, he was a pitcher for a
semi-pro baseball team in Cleveland, OH. As is common for pitchers, he
developed some chronic soreness in his elbow. The team trainer convinced
him that friction in the elbow traveled up to the head, was reflected off
the teeth and back down the arm, compounding the pain. He advised my
grandfather that if he was really serious about pitching, he should have
*all* his teeth drawn, which he did, at the ripe old age of 17.”