Dentistry

[redbird]

I have been to the dentist, and my teeth are now clean. While I was paying for the visit, the dentist said he'd like to do X-rays next time, and I said okay and that he should make a note of that (we didn't do any last time either, so it'll be a year and a half, at least, between sets). Also after the cleaning, he said something about laminates to "make [my] front teeth beautiful" and I said I wasn't buying anything cosmetic.

Less cheerfully, both he and the hygienist commented, approvingly, that I had lost weight. I explained that they didn't want to do it the way I had (the prednisone special), but didn't actually say "hey, I don't want to discuss this topic."

He also asked me who coyotegoth is, meaning "how do you know him?" and because of the way he phrased it, I wound up saying something like "no, he doesn't work with me, but he connected me with the agency that got me this job" rather than "my best friend introduced us."

Comments

[heyfoureyes.livejournal.com]

We live in a culture where people assume that all weight loss is 'virtuous.' I have lost weight due to an illness, and had people assume that I was 'working hard' and praising me even after I explained a bit. I wonder if men would get the same sort of feedback from a casual professional acquaintance like the dentist and hygenist?

[redbird]

The most annoying aspect of this was that the nurse at my doctor's office who weighed me made the same assumption, even knowing that I was quite ill, which was why I was there, and thus being weighed, twice in ten days. My actual GP is smarter.

[thette.livejournal.com]

I think it depends. I know of a few famous "jovial" men, who have lost weight, and the media speculates about cancer.

Of course, I've seen that happen to a few famous women, too. I think it's a question of losing weight too fast, because it can make you look very much older.

[heyfoureyes.livejournal.com]

I think what particularly bothers me about this is the shadow side, where these same people assume that I'm being particularly unvirtuous when I'm chubby.

[redbird]

Yes.

I did lose weight too fast--as in, my doctor and I were concerned that it might be evidence of diabetes or other serious problems--but losing fifteen pounds in about as many days looks too fast at the time, but to someone who sees me several months apart, it looked as though I'd lost fifteen pounds in several months.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

When I mention I have curly hair because my metabolism pretty much stopped and then started again, people sometimes say they want to do that. I tell them they're nuts.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Oh, now that is a little worrying. I hope it gets cleared up.

[redbird]

It has cleared up. This was several months ago. I lost the bunch of weight fast, and agreed with my doctor that, since I didn't have or want a household scale, I would check my weight at the gym, and if it didn't level off, we would start investigating. I think I may have lost another three or four pounds in the several months since, which is a little odd but not worrisome.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Oh good.