Thursday, December 9

Last Sunday a piece of tooth fell out of my mouth. It came from a tooth at the top right of my mouth at the back; a tooth which already consisted mostly of filling. I decided to live on soup and other liquids until I could get it fixed, and then booked an appointment with a dentist.

Tero has reduced his appearances in Helsinki to once or twice a week and had no appointments available until January when I expect (hope) to find myself in India. I therefore read the various biographies provided and chose Hannu Cederberg, who claimed to speak Finnish, Swedish and English.

Now I have arrived in Tallinnanaukio ready to walk into Oral and met Herra Cederberg. I look around a photograph some of the Christmas decorations. They contrast nicely with the gloom of the weather and the rest of the square.

I will have an interesting time. I had expected him to pull the filling out and replace it, or suggest pulling the whole tooth out. Instead he happily told me that he intended to attach the existing filling to the root with a screw and then build a new plastic tooth around the result.

Which he did.

I left with a working mouth and his promise that it had actually got stronger as a result of all this.