I grew up in the Soviet Union where drilling teeth or fixing root canals was usually practiced without anaesthesia (well... abortions were done that way too).

Needless to mention -- because of bad nutrition, we all -- the prisoners of Soviet System -- suffered from bad teeth and had to go to the dentist with swollen cheeks and in agonizing pain.

The quality of dental work rendered on us was dubious- the first Western dentist who looked in my mouth asked:

-- Did you do it yourself?

Living in New York for past 9 years I have discovered that dentistry can be gentler, kinder... till I saw the pictures in my New York dentistıs bathroom. There, in privacy, tidying myself after 2 hour dental surgery (with anaesthesia!) I had time to investigate those small copies of 17th Century prints.

The images were horrifying - half fainted (or very drunk) patients with suffering in their faces under the forceful figures of their dentists on top of them pulling a tooth with crude pliers.

-- What are these pictures doing in a dentist's office bathroom where patients go after their teeth are done? -- I asked myself. -- Does it mean my dentist has an excellent sense of humor, or he is just very insensitive, or he wants to show me that 21st Century dental surgery pain is nothing compared to this?

Slowly an idea for a film started to emerge: A fearful patient enters a dentist's office and gets even more scared by the pictures on the wall.

In the process of animating, the idea of the scary pictures gave way to exploring the relationship between Uncooperating Patient and Enthusiastic Dentist.

Maybe with this film I just lashed out at all the dentists who caused so much pain... but weirdly, I identify with the enthusiasm of Dentist as much as I identify with Patientıs fear. I want to do the best job possible but I wouldn't want to be at the receiving end...

That reminded me that I modeled the Patient after my son who is seventeen now. when he was younger he always threw a scene at dentist's: closed his mouth, screamed and bit the dentist's fingers, or surrendered in a theatrical suffering....