I made a quick stop at the Safeway across the street from my dentist’s office after my appointment so that I could buy some full-sized straws. I also ended up buying some bananas for smoothies and some chocolate soymilk, which was on sale.
After a brief stop at the office to arrange a ride home from the oral surgeon’s after my procedure, I went to Walgreens. There I acquired a Water Pik (I opted for a cordless model since my bathroom doesn’t have any outlets), a two-pack of children’s toothbrushes, and a package of little brushes, called Brush Picks and made by a company called DenTek. Although nobody had suggested this last item to me, I bought it because the brushes reminded me of some brushes that I used to use when I had orthodontic braces. They came eight to a package, and each one has a small brush at one end and a flexible pick at the other end. Eight is more than I’ll probably need, but this was the only size package I could find.
I then caught a bus to Whole Foods Market, where I purchased soy protein powder, antibacterial soap, natural mouthwash (Tom’s of Maine brand) and a couple of Amazake smoothies. I bought some frozen fruit with the dual purpose of adding to smoothies and icing my jaw on the bus ride home. I also looked for a calcium supplement, which proved to be harder than I thought. The supplements were organized by brand, so I had to look through each brand separately (rather than finding all of the calcium supplements in one place). I couldn’t find one that was specifically labeled as being vegan, and eventually an employee came over and asked if I needed any help. I told her what I was looking for, and she told me that calcium citrate should be vegetarian. I didn’t have the energy to explain the difference between veganism and vegetarianism, but I was baffled that somebody working in the supplement section of Whole Foods in Berkeley could lack that knowledge. She started pointing out different supplements to me, but I had already decided that she wasn’t going to be much help. Eventually, she left to check on something else (for which I was relieved), but she told me she would come back. I managed to find a supplement whose ingredients looked vegan (although it was only labeled as “Suitable for Vegetarians” and free of dairy). It seemed good enough, especially given the circumstances, so I took it to checkout and paid.
Shock and Jaw 
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