4 Issue One, Two Thousand and Twenty-Four Lina Hugh Wunderlich, DDS, CDE Some days at the office are like digging a hole. You do everything right, and all you end up with is a deeper hole. Some time ago, I had a day like that. The day was born badly and got worse. Every asp- ect was a shovelful of sand out of a Sisyphean hole. We were short staffed. Procedures ran long. Occlusions were high, mandibular blocks too low. The only thing working well was the new post cement I injected into a maxillary lateral. It was set before I could place the cast post. Oh, how I love making a new post space in rock hard composite embedded in the soft dentin of No. 7. But that certainly was no worse than cutting off the six-unit anterior temporary that got “locked on” during a reline. I wanted to stare and look away at the same time. I glanced at the rest of the schedule to see if my excavations could get any worse. Sure enough, the next patient would be an earth auger, followed by the dental version of a backhoe. I was so low that I was thinking about why I chose to be a dentist. And at the deepest part of the day, I would have a new patient exam with a four-year-old—Lina. The first time I saw Lina, I knew my day was going to end differently. She might be the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, but her smile and beauty are different. I wanted to stare and look away at the same time. When Lina was an infant, she was horribly burned. She has no face. Her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth are punch holes in a coffee-colored patchwork of scar tissue. Her eyebrows and any cartilage that would frame her face burned away long ago. Still unfused skull bones make solitary wisps of hair dance on her head with every heartbeat. During the exam, I felt like a locksmith because Lina seemed unable to open or close her scar-frozen mouth. When we were done, she came right over and gave me a big hug. The weight of all the dirt I’d been digging dissolved. I read somewhere that it takes 17 muscles to smile. That’s not true. Lina smiles without using any. Helen of Troy could launch a thousand ships; Lina can melt a thousand hearts. I don’t have problems at the office anymore. Lina has given me a gift. I get to be her dentist and her friend. The weight of all the dirt I’d been digging dissolved. FROM THE PRESIDENT
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