Lockdown had some unexpected benefits. Anonymity was achieved with mask wearing. In my own case, I had planned some dental surgery on my front teeth and while the implants bedded into my jaws I was still able to get about with a mask to hide the missing teeth.
I got a bit too casual and would remove my mask in cafés and bars. I got caught out when some former colleagues bumped into me as I sat unmasked in the Parlour bar. Brenda burst into laughter every time she looked my way. It didn’t rattle me as much as it might have done.
I suppose I would have been amused if someone had ventured out without their dentures and I was confronted by their absence. We are used to discoloured teeth and multiple fillings, but gaping holes are fair game for ridicule.
I am now sporting a full set of teeth and the trips to shops and bars lack that frisson of hidden horrors behind the mask.
odespinner 