Rosy Petechiae

Once when I went to my dentist in DC for a routine cleaning, I asked the hygienist, Melissa, if she could tell if a man was gay based on the inside of his mouth. She looked at me and smiled, then got up and checked the hallway before sitting back down beside me. Then she told me about rosy petechiae.

I said, "That actually sounds more like a drag queen".

"Funny," Melissa said, "but actually rosy petechiae is a cluster of dark circles that form on the roof of the mouth. They occur when the roof of the mouth has been worn down. It's mostly seen in babies who are nursing or on a bottle, or in children who suck their thumbs for long periods of time. But, honey, it can also show up in men who are sucking on something else, if you get my meaning."

I loved Melissa.

I told her I love this, but I would never be able to remember that name, so she wrote it down on the back of her card for me:


I especially love her post script.
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