Yesterday for the last of a recent dental course, I came to see my dentist to fix the new crown on my only damaged tooth.  The old crown was a metal one which was installed some forty years ago, and it had served me for a long, long time.  Good job! 

Thanks to the good gene inherited from my father, not from my mother, now at 73 I still have almost a mouthful of healthy teeth.  The new crown, not insured by National Health, costs me $800, and I guess not everyone in Taiwan can afford it, not to mention the more expensive tooth implantation which would cost around $3,000 for every single one.  (FYI, my wife already had five implanted teeth.  Holy cow! What the ordeal she had endured, not just for the money she spent. )  In the States the cost of tooth care is prohibitively high for ordinary people.   Do you know what senior Chinese-Americans care most about the coverage of their health insurance(s)?  Eye glasses and dental care.  But usually they would not get a satisfactory answer.

So the dental treatment is not affordable for everyone, whether in Taiwan or in the US.  For example, the chief janitor of the apartment where I am living is short of several teeth, and he is at most 50 by now.  My sister-in-law (the elder sister of my wife) in New Jersey has had the same problem, but tooth implantation is too expensive for her to take in the States.

Dear fellow seniors, wishing all of you have a mouthful of usable teeth of your own as to enjoy the rest of your life!  OSI, besides good gene, I guess the long-time habit of tea-drinking could be a protection for a guy like me who do not use floss and do not always brush teeth at least twice a day.