When you are Anna’s age, you lose your teeth and a fairy gives you money.  When you are my age you lose your fillings and give your precious coin to someone to put it back in for you.  Something is wrong with this picture.

A few weeks ago I noticed an unpleasant sensation in my mouth.  It was a pain in one tooth that coincided with chewing.  Sherlock that I am it didn’t take me long to deduce that this was a cavity/filling issue.  When the problem didn’t go away over the next few days and weeks, I knew it couldn’t be ignored for too long…

But what to do?  Xining is not exactly the Dental Mecca you might think.  Having been to a few hospitals here in town I don’t have too much optimism for what the dental industry must look like out here in the wild, wild, (we’re-just-lucky-to-have-a-few-teeth) West.  Granted, I am probably being a bit elitist and paranoid.  I know a select few ex-pats who will swear by their Xining dental experiences.  But I have a bit of dental phobia.  Actually, I hate dental appointments with a red, hot loathing.  I don’t even like going in for a simple annual cleaning when I’m in the States.

At first I thought I could wait until October when we will be taking a trip to Thailand for a conference, but as the days passed this seemed too long to let a cavity fester.  I pictured my teeth (tooth really) looking something like Ren Hoek’s in this picture.  Not a good scene…

With such limited options, I began to ask around about "reputable" dentists in more Westerner-friendly locations in China.  When I found out some friends here in Xining were heading to Beijing (and coincidentally enough, to a dentist they know and trust,) I jumped on the chance to accompany them. 

So, this Monday afternoon, I’ll be hopping on a train bound for Beijing.  It’s a 24-hour trip from Xining to Beijing, and since it is the cheapest way to travel presently (unless airfare drops in the next few days) I will most likely do the same 24-hour return trip.  If you think about this for just a few seconds you’ll probably realize one obvious thing right away:  IT’S A TOTALLY CRAZY PLAN!!!

Who in their right mind travels for two solid days just to see a dentist and come home?  How many of my American peers out there have traveled by train (no less) for an entire day just to sit under the bright fluorescent lights and have a masked person in a lab coat drill into their sensitive ivory.

Please understand that I realize this (i.e. being able to spend money and travel to take care of my dental needs) is a great privilege that many in this world do not have.  I am grateful for that and don’t take it too lightly, but still…it’s pretty wacky!  And it’s not really my idea of a vacation, but oh well.  If I’m going to keep nurturing this "eating hobby" of mine, then this trip seems like a necessary one.

I’m just going to cross my fingers and repeatedly recite the Chinese phrase for "more Novocaine!"

From here on out, it’s just tooth and rail.