When the first tooth fell out, I contacted my dentist. By the time I saw him five or six teeth joined their little brother. I placed them in a Zip-Loc bag in case he needed them. I guess I thought he could use them in a prosthesis or something. Pain does odd things to how one thinks and reacts. He took the teeth. (He’s a nice guy, and probably didn’t want to tell me there was no point to this exchange.)

He contacted an orthodontist, who examined my mouth, which now lacked six of the 32 normal tooth count. He researched the odd condition, and noted I was only the 39th known person to experience this condition because of herpes zoster. The records went back to the 19th Century. Yes, once again, I was a case study for a specialist who called in all his interns for a chance to…