Barbarous Dentistry

Getting your hair cut is normally dead time, unless you find the conversation particularly stimulating. So as I was having mine trimmed this morning, I got to wondering:

Why going to the barber’s is like going to the dentist

• You have to sit very still or bad things happen. This is tricky and you tend to squirm. From time to time they re-orient your head.

• They have a special chair that goes up and down.

• They have a large variety of alarming specialist equipment.

• It’s hard to find a good one.

Why going to the barber’s isn’t like going to the dentist

• They are much cheaper.

• It isn’t as painful - normally.

The similarities may not be entirely coincidental. Barbers used to perform surgery - and this is the origin of the red (and sometimes blue) colour of the traditional barber’s pole. Fortunately, we have now specialised into many more disciplines. Adam Smith would be proud.

Conclusion: I still don’t like going to either.