1. Have you ever had braces? Any other teeth trauma?
When I was 7 (I’m sure I was 7, it was before I went to St. Brigid’s, when I was 8, and after my holiday to Nottingham when I was 6), I was running across the playground after school to meet my mum. It had been raining that day, the ground – which consisted of a matrix of badly-laid concrete slabs – was quite slick. At least I think it had been raining, I have no exact memory. I ran across that yard a lot. Anywho, as I approached the covered bench area acorss the yard, I must have tripped on one of the slabs, for the next thing I remember I was sliding face-first along the ground, grinding my left front tooth into dust. The look on my mum’s face when she saw me wasn’t very comforting (thank goodness I don’t remember it well). The next thing I know I’m at the dentist, some stuff happened (a big light shone in my face, probing with one of those mirror thingies, the usual), I think we went back again some other day, and I ended up eventually with a cap on my tooth, looking basically as it did before, except slightly more translucent. Since then, I’ve had a small chip or two come off the cap, nothing significant though. It’s still holding solid. They did a good job.
I also had braces. I lost all of my baby teeth at quite an early age, but as a result there was some overcrowding, so I had a palette-stretcher for a few months (I think I was 11 when I had that), and then when I was 12 I had train-tracks installed for 8 months, if memory serves me, across the top row. I think I had a retainer as well, but I don’t remember so it mustn’t have scarred me emotionally that much. They didn’t really work as intended, I have a bit of a wave thing going on, and my front teeth stick out a little, but it isn’t really noticeable unless you concentrate. The braces weren’t the trauma I expected them to be. The palette-stretcher was worse since it reduced the area of the inside of my mouth by a third.
And they made lots of casts of my gob, at least two anyway. They stuffed my face with pink clay stuff to make the mould, and I remember the second time I was stuffed up so I couldn’t breathe through my nose and I started to choke. Not good.
2. Ever broken any bones?
Never. I’ve stubbed my toes a thousand times, caught my fingers on doors, the works, but I’ve never broken a bone. I’m blessed.
3. Ever had stitches?
Never, I’ve never had a cut bad enough to need stitches.
4. What are the stories behind some of your (physical) scars?
I have had three definite scars, but they were so small that they’ve faded into obscurity.
The first, a small blotch on left arm, was when a guy at my old art class stabbed me (by accident….. I think) with a pencil. It was quite deep, went through a few layers. I know I saw white before I saw blood, but I assume it was just an inner layer of skin rather than bone. It heeled quickly, but the skin on top stayed milky white for years, with a slight tint of grey that I attributed to residue from the pencil graphite. The scar has faded by now, just looks like a weird freckle if I study the spot.
The others, they were on my left hand, one on the palm and one on the other side, directly opposite. My dog bit me, years ago. They must have faded a while ago, I remember seeing them last year, but they’re gone now.
Right now, I have the remnants of a bad scratch on my right arm. I scaped it off the corner of my computer desk, by the time I realised what I was doing it was too late. I hate those. They close up in minutes but take ages to heal properly.
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
I dunno….. I’m going into town shopping tomorrow…. I might go see a movie on Sunday….. it’s one of those weekends when I don’t have any work that needs doing, no deadlines or anything like that, but I have nothing else much worth doing either.