WO⅃⅃Iꟼ

 

 

WO⅃⅃Iꟼ

I thought it was Russian.

I first noticed it when Bill got up from my chair. I am a dental hygienist and Bill was in for a check-up and cleaning. Bill was a long-time patient, and I knew him personally. Still, I felt a little uncomfortable staring at him.

 

It looked something like a tattoo.

 

I knew a primary motivation for those who get a tattoo  had to do with its personal meaning (such as to mark a significant experience or struggle). “To keep my mother’s memory,” “A way of honoring my first child,” and sometimes it represented  a certain time of someone’s life. It also could be an extension or expression of who they were. Others find tattoos to be an appealing form of body art.

 

Still, I had to ask.

“What does it mean Bill?

“What does what mean?”  was my patient’s response.

“Whatever you have written on the back of your head.”

Then came the truth.

“I don’t have anything written on the back of my head” claimed Bill.

“Well, you do now.”

 

Occasionally, a patient will request that a small pillow be used as a head support during a procedure. Bill wanted one and I brought one in from the other room to make him more comfortable and I placed it under his neck. Typically, we would use two headrest covers over the pillow, but this was a newer pillow, and our head-rest covers were too small to cover it. So, we would just keep the pillow in its plastic wrapping and disinfect it after each use.

 

The printing on the pillow’s plastic cover had transferred onto Bill’s head while he was in my chair. Later he said the pillow felt a little wet, but he did not think to mention it at the time. Wearing gloves, I did not feel the moisture. We think the disinfectant weakened the printing and allowed the transfer.

 

Not only did Bill get his teeth cleaned that day but also a shampoo.

No extra charge.

 

We all laughed.

Juli Tragasz