WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SANTA HAS A DENTAL EMERGENCY?
Ho ho OW!
There I was right at the beginning of my night-time global present delivery when disaster struck.
I’d only just arrived in New Zealand and dropped down my first Kiwi chimney and was tucking into a small bowl of nuts when I bit into what could only be described as a nut with attitude. A bad attitude!
When you’re in someone else’s home in the middle of the night, yelling and shouting in pain is not a good idea. You don’t want to wake up the kiddies, do you? It’s all meant to be a surprise! Well, they’d get a surprise alright if they were woken up by a fat man in a red suit hopping around clutching his beard in both hands yelling about his tooth. I mean, I’m Father Christmas, not the Tooth Fairy! And imagine finding some old geezer’s tooth in your bowl of nuts the next morning. It’s enough to put you off nuts for life!
It was a trial I can tell you. It ached like blazes! I tossed presents out as quickly as possible and scattered sugared nuts everywhere hunting for the tooth.
Finally found it!
I’d read on the Team Dental website that you should put your tooth into milk. It preserves it and the dentist may be able to put it back in your jaw! I may be able to drop presents at every home in the world in one night but putting a tooth that’s been knocked out back in your jaw – that’s miraculous!
Thankfully, most homes don’t only have a plate of biscuits, or Christmas mince pies, or even a bowl of nuts for me, but there’s usually a glass of milk as well. Popping the tooth into the milk, I hauled myself back up the chimney. Not easy when you’re trying not to spill milk all over yourself!
I grinned with relief once I was back on the roof. The flying antler brigade took one look at the horror that was the gap in my usually delightful grin and nearly fell off the tiles.
What on earth were we going to do? The reindeer and I put our heads together. We needed help. Although it’s common to see chubby men with white beards posing in shops with children, or even on the telly in heart-warming ads, at this time of year, it’s not common to see them looking as if they’ve just been in a fight. It was going to be a long night until we’d make it back to the North Pole. Until then there would be no ho ho ho-ing for me!
Christmas is full of sweet, sugary, delicious, nutty treats. So, make sure you floss, and brush after every meal.
You don’t want a disaster like mine. This is definitely not the season to be hiding your smile!
If you have a dental emergency over the festive season, get in touch with your nearest Team Dental surgery and make an appointment.
TEAM DENTAL CHRISTMAS HOURS
We have one of our centres in each region open often through the Christmas season.
Whangarei
25/12 Closed
26/12 – 28/12 1-4pm
29/12 – 31/12 9-5pm
01/01 – 04/12 1-4pm
05/01 – 07/01 9-5pm
08/01 – 09/01 1-4pm
Whangarei – Kensington
24/12 – 10/01 Closed
Katikati
24/12 – 13/01 Closed
Tauranga – 2nd Ave
25/12 Closed
26/12 – 28/12 10-4pm
29/12 – 31/12 9-6pm
01/01 – 04/12 10-4pm
05/01 – 07/01 9-6pm
08/01 – 09/01 10-4pm
Tauranga – 16th Ave
23/12 – 12/01 Closed
Greerton
24/12 – 10/01 Closed
Papamoa
24/12 – 10/01 Closed
Rotorua
25/12 – 10/01 Closed
Christchurch – Bealey Ave
25/12 – 10/01 Closed
Christchurch – Riccarton
25/12 Closed
26/12 – 28/12 9-4pm
29/12 – 31/12 9-6pm
01/01 – Closed
02/01 – 04/12 9-4pm
05/01 – 9-5pm
06/01 – 9-8pm
07/01 – 9-5pm
08/01 – 09/01 9-4pm
Christchurch – Papanui
25/12 – 10/01 Closed