• Archives
  • Products
  • Operative Dentistry
  • Dental Team Communication
  • Practice Management
  • News
  • Research
  • Dental Debates

DentalBuzz: a jolt of current

trends, innovations, and quirks of dentistry

  • Home – Latest Buzz
  • Bloglist
  • Indie Dental Showcase
  • Free Dental Timer
  • Practice printables
  • Podcasts

Christmas in July

July 18, 2012 By Trish Walraven 2 Comments

Forget the holly-hauling, fruitcake-slicing, and carols at the spinet. We have a whole new way to usher in a little Christmas where we need it, right this very minute!

You just got a puzzled look on your face. This is stupid, you say. What do these small, wet disposable towels that you use to rub all the potential spittage off of your x-ray sensors and keyboards have to do with Christmas?

Maybe a little of my rusty singing will be enough of a hint:

Here comes Sani-Cloth, here comes Sani-Cloth. Right down Sani-Cloth Lane. ♫

Take your face out of your palm now. Bad punnage will do that. sorry.

So. This all started about a month ago at an ophthalmologist’s office after waiting a painful amount of time in a quiet, poorly-lit room. The only entertainment was a red container of these towels, and prone as I am to fits of absurdity, I started cackling and generally cracking up because the ones we use in our dental practice are green, and of course I noticed the name of these things for the first. time. evah. Red. Green. Sani-Cloth.

*chortle*

*snort*

Sani-cloth. I’m a blind elf with a lisp. Does Sani-Cloth work with Hermey the elf? He wanted to be a dentist, not an optometrist. Ho Ho Ho!

*hiccup*

And here’s the WORST. worst worst worst example of what happens when humor strikes at the wrong time.

I had thoughts about Sani-Cloth on July 4th.

Only problem was, that day, I was with my extended family in an ICU unit, and my dearest, most precious, 92 year old grandfather was in his last moments of life. Right there, I picked up the red canister that they used in the hospital room, just like in the ophthalmology office, just like in our dental practice, and gave an appropriate preface to the punchline. Then I delivered it.

Ummm. Awkward bomb.

But my grandfather, this joke was right up his alley.  He loved puns. In my mind I could hear his own special delight sound made to reward my well-paced dork moment.

Iz Zat You, Sani-Cloth?

I sang gently off-key, in Grandfather’s ear, with his hospital caregivers using the wipes to protect all of the armamentarium in the room from the ick of the world that we, his family, had probably brought with us when we were welcomed into this final sanctum.

He died just after midnight, a few hours later after I’d told him the last joke he would ever hear.

Thank you, Sani-Cloth, for your wet-wipe wellness, and for being at an absurd yet expected place at a sacred time. And thank you, Grandfather, for sharing your sense of humor.

*sniffle*

 

 

Also, a ton of gratitude goes to my cousin Greg for posting this video tribute to our grandfather on YouTube. And that first song? That was the one I just happened to be singing off-key in his ear at the hospital… 🙂

Filed Under: Anecdotes, Products Tagged With: christmas in July, disinfection, sani-cloth

Comments

  1. Eva says

    July 19, 2012 at 8:05 am

    Not only was your tribute to your grandfather absolutely adorable and heartfelt but the ultimate in Trishgeek humor. Your words formed a lump in my throat and made my nose water. Thank you for that, my friend.

    Reply
  2. A. Joanie says

    July 20, 2012 at 7:42 pm

    Thanks Tricia,
    This is marvelous. Who else could take a situation like this and blend humor and humility, and weave it into a classic”Lumpkinism”.
    We are in Amarillo, Mike drove all the way. He had an operation on the left toe Tues, and is bandaged and he is on crutches , otherwise, I think he’s okay. ha. Any more rumors about Telluride?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Visit BlueNote Communicator Lights

About

DentalBuzz explores rising trends in dentistry with its own slant. The speed at which new products and ideas enter the dental field can often outpace our ability to understand just exactly the direction in which we are heading. But somehow, by being a little less serious about dentistry and dental care, we might get closer to making sense of it all.

So yeah, a tongue-in-cheek pun would fit really nicely here, but that would be in bad taste. Never mind, it just happened anyways. Stop reading sidebars already and click on some content instead.

Recent Posts

  • Dentists Rejoice over the Leica Camera Tariffs
  • It’s not OK for your dental practice to use free cloud-based communication
  • Patients ask, “Is it safe to go back to the dentist?”
  • Free “return to work guide” from the American Dental Association
  • Why COVID-19 increases your need for contactless payments
  • A virtual care package from worried dental hygienists
  • Lead Aprons feel so good! Here’s why.
  • What is this $&!% on my toothbrush?
  • The Prophy Jet Challenge
  • How to trick kids into brushing their teeth
  • These identical twins can both be your dentist
  • Why dental insurance makes good people do bad things

Article Archives

Contact Us

Guest columnists are welcome to submit edgy stories that cover new ground (no regurgitations, please!) , or if there's a topic that you'd like to see explored please punch in your best stuff here and see if it ends up sticking to the website.

Follow DentalBuzz on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

DentalBuzz Copyright ©2008-2024 • bluenotesoftware.com • All Rights Reserved