At the Dentist

Simon goes to the dentist (for treatment) way more often than I do. My dentist has retired, and I haven't bothered going to the new young dentist in town yet. Dr Renaudie, my old dentist, rides a Harley, wore a checked shirt and string tie for work, had a jukebox that played country and western music in the surgery and he cracked jokes all the time. The new young dentist will have to be going some to beat that, but his first name is Claudius, so that's a good start I guess.

Simon about to be examined by Dr Beye.

Simon's teeth have had to deal with a lifetime of Ventoline, which increases the risk of cavities and other oral problems. Unfortunately Simon, like many people his age, was thoroughly traumatised by the dentist in his childhood. Luckily, now, we have Dr Beye.

We first made an appointment with him several years ago when Simon cracked a tooth. I couldn't get him in to my dentist in Preuilly, so I rang around. The receptionist at Dr Beye's, in La Roche Posay, said they didn't have a slot immediately but she would ring me if one came up. True to her word, a couple of hours later, she rang me and said if we could get there in 20 minutes, an appointment had become available. Easy peasy. La Roche Posay is only 10 minutes away.

Dr Beye is a big African man, of few words and remarkably small fine hands. In the past 6 years Simon has had root canal work, two crowns and a couple of fillings done by him. Dr Beye's calm demeanor and the improvement in dental techniques (especially anaesthetics) in the last decade or so mean that Simon now more or less willingly goes to the dentist. In the old days he would have put up with many months of pain and discomfort, and swallowed endless painkillers on a daily basis rather than put himself in the dentist's chair.

When I asked Dr Beye if he minded if I took this photo, his response was very French. 'Non, ça ne me dérange pas'  ('no, that won't bother me').

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Just a quick word about the Tour The Loire gift store. We notice that people have ordered t-shirts, mugs and a tote bag - thank you very much all. We ordered a set of coffee mugs as a thank you to my brother and Rosie and were really impressed.

If you're looking for a unique piece of Loire Valley memorabilia, it can be bought here.