My dentist would never dream of working for nothing, just as I would never dream of asking him to do so. Why should pianists be any different, asks Charivari.
I phoned my dentist last week. The surgery has been closed since lockdown, of course, but a filling had dropped out of an upper rear molar and left me with an uncomfortable sharp edge at the back of my mouth. I managed to get through to him. He’s a private dentist, and a very good one. I’ve been a patient/customer (?) for many years even though he charges £10 every time he takes a breath. Or so it seems when I get the bill. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘That’s quite all right. Do come along. I’ll open up the surgery for you. I need to keep my hand in, anyway. So don’t worry – the treatment will be quite free. No need to pay.’
How lucky I am, I thought, to have such an accommodating, expert, generous professional on hand in these grim days of social distancing. How amazing that I can benefit from free dental treatment at a time when he is unable to work normally because of the pandemic.
What? You mean you believe all that? Sorry to disabuse you but, no, that dentist story is a load of baloney. I merely wanted to illustrate a point.... Keep reading on Classical Music
I phoned my dentist last week. The surgery has been closed since lockdown, of course, but a filling had dropped out of an upper rear molar and left me with an uncomfortable sharp edge at the back of my mouth. I managed to get through to him. He’s a private dentist, and a very good one. I’ve been a patient/customer (?) for many years even though he charges £10 every time he takes a breath. Or so it seems when I get the bill. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘That’s quite all right. Do come along. I’ll open up the surgery for you. I need to keep my hand in, anyway. So don’t worry – the treatment will be quite free. No need to pay.’
How lucky I am, I thought, to have such an accommodating, expert, generous professional on hand in these grim days of social distancing. How amazing that I can benefit from free dental treatment at a time when he is unable to work normally because of the pandemic.
What? You mean you believe all that? Sorry to disabuse you but, no, that dentist story is a load of baloney. I merely wanted to illustrate a point.... Keep reading on Classical Music