I went to get my teeth cleaned at Dr. Jacob Merryman’s Merry Man Family Dentistry in Schuylerville, New York, this afternoon. My teeth are in good shape; my implant went very well. Everyone has a different story about dentists in America; mine was unpleasant.

I always dreaded going to the dentist; it was something I often had to do but hated to do.  This became a kind of rueful national joke.

I was struck by the fact that I looked forward to attending Dr. Merryman’s office today. It was surprising. I’ve always found the techs in dentist’s offices more helpful than the dentists.

First, there is the fact that he and his staff have produced, planned, and taught me to a great place with my teeth. They are healthy, greatly strengthened by a fluoride toothpaste prescription and a highly effective water flosser, rigorous cleanings every three months, valuable lectures,  space age X-rays, bracing, and very knowledgeable people.

(Ingrid, receptionist,  keeper and guardian of the gate.)

My teeth have never been healthier, stronger, or better. That is not something I expected to find at this point. I met Dr. Merry four or five years ago when he was considering opening his own office but was temporarily working closer to our farm.

I was not happy with my dentist; she was grim and brutal for me to get to know, and my dental problems seemed to worsen. I had cavity after cavity and a root canal or two.

Dr. Merry worked as a guest dentist in the office one day, and I was surprised and delighted.  He said he was planning his own office.

He has one of the heartiest laughs I’ve ever heard, and it is said it always resonates in any office he works in, especially his own. Wow, I thought a competent, caring, and genial giant.

We laughed together the first time we met, and I am not usually a laugher, but I always laugh around and with him. He is warm, empathic, and excellent at what he does. His preventive medicine is very strong.

I tried getting an implant five years ago, and it was a disaster for me. It got infected early on, and it took my then-dentist three painful years to figure that out before it had to be removed.

I swore I would never get another implant, but I came to trust Dr.Merryman so much I agreed to have two, not one, implants to replace two lost teeth that I missed. He said he could handle it, so the first one was finished a couple of months ago, and the second one is underway and will be crowned in June.

I’m not sure I know Dr. Merryman long enough to love him, but I love going to his office. I know my teeth and big mouth will be well cared for. And then there is his staff, the nicest, most empathetic, and most helpful dental techs I have yet confronted in my lengthening dental visits.

Dr. Merryman seems to have mastered the art of warmth and connection.  His staff is just as warm as he is, and they also love to laugh, even at my jokes.

It feels like family, not health care. Today, I went and poured out my troubles with cannabis over the weekend, and they seemed to want to hear about it. I feel important and heard there. Maria went last week and came home to say it was the best visit to a dentist she could recall.

It’s strange to say these things about a dentist’s office; I have never wanted to go.

I don’t discuss religion with Dr. Merryman, but I sense that he and many of his staff are people of faith and spiritual depth. They have all worked together for a long time. They love to do good.

It isn’t my business about his faith, but his dentistry is filled with people who care and love to heal. I ask if I can take a photo of the office, and everyone shrugs and says sure.

Zinnia is as welcome as I am and often more.

So he and his staff are on my list of portraits of people I like, respect, and may soon come to love. I already love being there. I never imagined loving a dentist.

And it is nice to know now that I will have almost all of my original teeth when I die.