The real reason for the mask

It is about time that periodontists, oral surgeons, and all dental professionals hear a public apology like this.

Today NPR aired a Fresh Air segment featuring writer David Sedaris. The morbidly fascinating sense of personal maladies that he brings to his humor dwells in a special place in our hearts. Or at least in our noses.

Here’s an excerpt of the 25-minute interview:

Terry Gross:

“You talked about the boil [on your backside], and you wrote how horrible the stuff that came out of it was; that it smelled like evil that had been trapped in your body. I would like you to reflect on that, feeling like you’d been the host to this stuff.”

David Sedaris:

“Well, it was my second time when I realized that I was a host to really what had to be the foulest liquid on earth, and it was more horrible than anything, smell-wise. But a couple years ago, when Hugh did lead me to the dentist, who led me to a periodontist, the periodontist cut my gums from top to bottom, and then he lifted them up, and he scraped that very same thing from the roots of my teeth. It smelled just like that.

“And I couldn’t feel a thing because he’d shot me full of Novocaine, so it was this odd sensation and I saw him, you know, sticking a knife into my mouth, and I saw his hand going back and forth, and I knew it, that I could taste blood, and I knew that there was stuff going on in there.

“But it wasn’t until I smelled it, and then, I just said “ Ahh sohhhay,” and what I was saying was “I’m sorry.” I was so sorry that i subjected anybody, it must have cleared the building. And to know that that was just there, hidden, hidden beneath my gumline.”

You can listen to the entire interview at NPR.org.