Dr. Jacob Merryman is my dentist, and it’s a good thing I signed up when I did, I’m not sure he is taking any new patients now.

He has the warmest smile of any doctor I know,  and the nicest manner. And he’s done a wonderful job with my poor teeth. They never quite got over my grandmother’s penny candy display.

Dr. Merryman is warm and good-natured, especially for a male doctor.

His smile is so broad and genuine that you can even see it through the mask he wears. It took Zinnia about three visits to figure out this new place, now she goes into the other cubicles and sits with people who want to see her. Almost everyone does.

She just sees the dentist’s office as yet another home; she makes herself comfortable. She shifts into her Therapy Dog gear; she’s figured it out. Anyone who is nervous about being in the dental chair gets a visit, a lick, and a sniff.

And the staff loves her and has some treats for her.

After all the cuddling and snacking, she comes back and lies down next to my chair, and goes to sleep. Dr. Merryman just steps over her; she doesn’t mind. He works quickly and efficiently – no pain. In between, we are both often laughing.

I was there today because Dr. Merryman found a gum infection last time and prescribed antibiotics and some special brush with medicine. He said the gum was “1oo percent better,” but it turns out that was not good enough. There is still some infection deep down. And he doesn’t know why. It seems there is only one way to fs

We need a deep cutter.

.

(Dr. Merryman without a mask. )

He is just like he looks – nice, warm, and very quick to laugh. We both have the same, slightly twisted sense of humor.

The bottom line is that I’ve got to see a periodontist in Saratoga Springs. I expect him to cut me up a bit and either find the source of the infection or yank the tough out.

Dr. Merryman couldn’t understand why the entire infection didn’t disappear. And he’s not about to hang around and see it.

That means digging deeper, and the dental surgeons step in when the digging gets that deep. I’ve got several different medical things going at once; that is the story of aging or at least part of it. It’s what I expect; it’s what I expect.

My calendar has lots of doctor’s appointments down to May. And I’m actually pretty healthy.

I blame Covid; I’m still rebounding from it. But the truth is, this is normal. There’s nothing unusual about it.

I am so fortunate to have the doctors I have.

Dr. Merry is one of three doctors I see occasionally, along with my cardiologist and pulmonologist. Could it be that important to have all these doctors?

I’ve learned over the past year or two that at some point in life, everything changes. My body is a stranger sometimes, and it is working hard to be alive and stay there. That is the way it is. You either accept it, or it will eat you up.

My doctor’s dance list is long now; all my cards are filled.