dentistry

Think back to the last time you were in the dentist’s chair and were told you have a cavity. The scenario probably went something like this: The dentist pulled up your X-ray, pointed to a gray smudge on your radiograph, and said, “This should probably be filled before it gets any bigger.”If you’re like most patients, you probably had trouble distinguishing the monochrome gradations on your X-ray. Is that a cavity or just a stain on your tooth, you might have wondered. Maybe you asked for further clarification, or maybe…

David Sedaris lives in West Sussex – where he has attained local treasure status thanks to his proclivity for late-night litter-picking – but spent the Covid lockdowns in New York. As a self-confessed attention junkie, the enforced hiatus hit him hard. Of the live audiences he misses, he writes: “It’s not just their laughter I pay attention to but also the quality of their silence” – and you can’t replicate that over Zoom. In this new memoir, Sedaris recounts his lockdown experience with his customary blend of wry…