and superhero figurines from cornflake boxes, Steven had plaster casts of jawbones, gums and teeth grinning down at us. The instruments were locked away in glass cabinets and only his parents had the key. “They don’t exactly encourage my interest,” he shrugged. “They sort of tolerate it. But Dad says they’re a sort of collection, and too expensive for me to play with.” Of course, we tried to pick the locks, but the spikes and saws and drillheads remained — tantalisingly — out of reach. We didn’t see Steven’s interest as strange, well, not that much. We all had our own interests — drawing, electronics, collecting beer caps — that each appeared obscure to anyone else. DIY Dentistry was just something that had never crossed our horizon before.