Minding my tayth

The dental school at UNC Chapel Hill runs a lottery for members of the public to get their dental care from student dentists. Mike and I put our names into the hat, and two weeks ago, Mike won. Two days later I bit into some gum and had a tearing pain from a molar, and my sweetie gave me his slot.
Now you might think that the prospect of dental care is not a pleasant one, and throwing into the scenario an inexperienced dentist seems even more foolhardy. But Mike recalled that he had gotten excellent care there (albeit 20 years ago) and besides, it's very inexpensive. I had my intake appointment last Friday.
An aside which may seem unrelated but is not: Chapel Hill is very cosmopolitan, and hearing a Southern accent in these parts is actually infrequent enough to make it noticeable. Back to the story: the staff at the dental hospital, dentist-in-charge included, spoke with Southern accents. And I realized one of my newer subconscious preconceptions: it's not just tradesmen who speak the Southern way. As my dentist pulled out my tongue much in the same way my vet pulls Jet's tongue out for exams (with a hearty grab) she noted "deeid yew knuw yew had a caple a traycks own yohr tuong?" and she noted to her transcriptionist "wan tew bah thray, wan fahve bah forh." The Southern speak around here is nothing that Westerners think it is, not even close to the loud twangy drawl of Texans. North Carolinians are soft-spoken and their speech is often breathy and gentle. Seeing my dismay at the prospect of a crown, she petted my hand and said "nah nah, it in't the ee-end of the whorld."
The care was fantastic, and though it was very crowded there, I didn't feel like a number. They gave me a full exam and a student took my 18 x-rays, ensuring that every nook and cranny was thoroughly checked and that I got my full dose of radiation. The dentist explored my entire jaw down the neck up to the tip of my chin. Since it is a student training facility, the one drawback is that they move more slowly, an attending dentist checking every step of the work. But hey, for us unemployed leeches, it's great. By the way: the whole thing, $64.