Tooth Again

Once more I find myself taking an afternoon off work to sit in the dental emergency room. Another tooth has fractured and it is paining on and off. I don't want to suffer through a weekend, and anyways, Monday is a busy day. Since my calendar is free of obligation, I seize the opportunity and head out.


I have never been to the dental ER in the late afternoon, and I am concerned that I might have to wait until late in the evening to be seen. But its better than the alternative. When I check in, I ask if there are a lot of people waiting to be seen. "Not bad," the receptionist tells me. True, the waiting room isn't excessively overcrowded. I have my book to read for class assignment, and am hopeful that the time will go fast.


I pay attention to who gets called back for x rays ahead of me. It appears there is one man and two women. Not bad. The wait turns out to be only an hour and fifteen minutes. The woman ahead of me comes out in a dither. She asks how to register a complaint. I listen to her litany of issues. The dentist was rude and uncaring, a regular b----.


It seems that her dentist was only interested in going home and getting the heck out of there. The dentist was tired and felt upset that this woman had spent tons of money on her nails and hair (both beautiful) but couldn't manage to see the dentist for regular check-ups. She didn't deserve consideration just because she had been negligent and now had a terrible infection. So they drilled the tooth open and left it. She was instructed to come back Monday. No prescriptions for the infection were given. And the patient was fuming.


Oh, Lord, please don't let me get that dentist. They call my name, and as soon as I am seated, I know I did get that dentist. She was curt, looked at my xray, said the tooth was bad and she was going to pull it. She whisked out of the room, leaving me with the assistant who was mumbling in the background, "I just want to go home. Let me out of here. How many more do we have to deal with. Its 5 o'clock. Any decent person would be on their way home now. Just let me go."


What to do? I sure don't want to be subjected to unnecessary agony because people are overworked and unhappy! I pray hard for wisdom. The dentist returns and shoots me full of novacaine. While we wait for it to take effect, I ask innocently, "Has it been busy here today?" It was like lancing a boil. The poor dentist practically exploded with her angst and distress. A floodgate was opened and it wasn't going to stop any time soon.


I listened carefully, nodding, expressing rightfully deserved sympathy, and apologizing for her difficult situation. She stared at me for a minute, raised her chin, and said,"We are professionals here. We should be used to this by now. Do you know what that last b---- said to me? I asked her if she was allergic to anything, and she said 'YOU' - can you imagine saying something like that? Why do people hate dentists?"


Ah, now we are getting somewhere! I quietly said, "I, for one, LOVE dentists. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate being able to come and see you and have this tooth taken care of." I leaned back and looked at the assistant and said, "And I am really glad you are here to help. You make all the difference between uncomfortable and pleasant. I am delighted for your care."



The two looked at each other over my head in silence, their eyes locking. Then the dentist said, "Well, now. You just moved into 'the best care possible' scenario. I am going to see to it that you are coddled to the max." The assistant agreed. Whew! I was especially worried about removing this tooth because there is only a teensy little nub showing above the gum line. I have concerns about them having to dig around in my gums.



She took a longer look at my chart, telling me once again that this damage is partially caused by the treatment I have undergone. She recommends Biotin, a mouth rinse that will help with the dry mouth syndrome that contributes to this problem (though its probably too little too late at this point). And so she begins.



Some poking and prodding, chiseling and wiggling. I am beginning to wonder when she will bring out the pliers when she says, "It's out." Really? I can hardly believe it. "Believe it. Unless you want me to put it back and try again." Very funny. Everyone laughs. She has had to cut the gum, and insert something to stem the bloodflow. Four stitches later and a mouth full of gauze, I am on my way out the door, wobbling back to my car.



Thank you, Lord for the intervention and helping get things back on an even keel. Now, bring on the Jello! Strawberry kiwi if you please.