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had taken care of her teeth and had spotted the perils under it while brushing. She also wishes
that she had more tooth than filling and she had bought something harmless with her money
apart from the sweets.
When the poet thinks of the lollies, candies, tiny sweets, peanuts her conscience is punched due
to repentance. She feels sorry for herself that she did not give up eating those sweets although
she brushed regularly and checked for decays. Because of the sweets, she has to now undergo
injections, drills and fillings which are very painful and terrifying.
The narrator shows her teeth to her mother. Her mother tells her that having a tooth is equal to
having a friend. The narrator did not take her mothers advice. She never had enough time and
she never took care of her teeth or her toothbrush.
The narrator tells that she showed the toothpaste to her teeth. She brushed them up and down and
checked them carefully and found out that she was able to eat and bite.
The narrator regrets thinking if she had known before that by eating so many sweets and ignoring
her teeth, she was making a way for cavities, caps and decay and causing the use of injections,
drills and fillings, she would have thrown away all the sweets.
Pam Ayres had to go to the dentist for drilling, fillings etc. She sat in the dentists chair in distress
while the doctor did her drilling into her mouth. She can hear the drilling sound while the dentist
works on her molars. He says that he would have to carry out two amalgams in them.
The narrator finally ends her poem by saying that she had once laughed at her mothers false
teeth as they were foamed for cleaning. But is it now the time for her to wear the same and
wishes very much she had taken care after her teeth.
Word- Meanings:
perils- danger
Gobstoppers- a large, hard sweet
Choppers- teeth
shillin- shilling, currency
Sherbet dabs- tiny sweets
Peanut brittle- easily breakable peanut
conscience- soul, consciousness
pricked- pierce, punch
pokin and fussin- checking carefully
whine- high pitched sound
molars- teeth at the back of the jaw
amalgam- filling made of mercury and silver
Explain the following phrases briefly:
1. I showed them the toothpaste alright
The poet did not brush her teeth but showed the toothpaste to her teeth. It is ironical that she
brushed her teeth casually with a view to deceive herself that she had brushed them. There was
no effect of this kind of brushing and therefore, she developed decay and cavities.
2. But now comes the reckoning.
The poet once laughed at her mothers false teeth. But now she has to pay for making fun of
laughing in the form of tooth decay.