Why do I think we'll see a Pavement reunion tour kicking off from Branson, Mo. before we see an American parenting magazine that addresses a dad's concerns? When it comes to parenting, moms may be a little bit country, and dads a little bit rock 'n roll, but the parenting magazines are all Nashville.
And so it is that a well-toothed dad from the heartland is forced to turn to a UK mag, Junior, for--of all things--dental advice:
Dear Katie: What can I do? My son is afraid of the dentist!First off, I guess the NHS does not cover dental work? Because that'd explain a lot. And second, D., maybe the real issue is pressure, the kid's fear of not measuring up to your family's super-high dental standards?
- D. Osmond from Salt Lake City
Katie Says: Why? It's not like he has to pay for the treatment, which is truly scary. Tell him he doesn't know what fear is until he's been faced with a bill for root canal work. Which he will be, if he won't settle himself down in the dentist's chair.
For what it's worth, the NHS is meant to subsidise dental treatment, making it free for children, people on benefits etc, and 'affordable' for everyone else, but in practice it's very difficult to get registered with an NHS dentist . It seems they make more money from private patients, so cut the time they spend working on the NHS.
Most of us therefore end up paying through the nose or other extremity for dentistry.
And don't even mention orthodontics.
Yeah, the NHS doesn't exactly cover dental work, that is unless you happen to be a single parent on a low income. Hey I knew that was something to be happy about! Almost makes me look forward to the filling I'm having done tomorrow...And that's coming from a 24 year old who's still afraid of the dentist.