I had a few stubborn teeth
as a cub scout-aged kid
that threatened never to come out.
My dentist took X-rays
of my overbiting jaw
when I was nine [going on ten]–
I lack several adult teeth
from the day I was born,
so the next logical step
would be to pull out those
orphaned, anchoring pearls
before they fused to the bone.
WHARVED 