Dentist

It started on Monday with a slight tenderness on the right side of the mouth. By Tuesday morning  a mouth that felt like the gum had been scratched or damaged. By night fall it was throbbing and eating a meal was becoming increasingly difficult and sleep that night was almost no existent. Not excruciating pain just annoying. Hardly worth the effort of taking a pain killer. But by 4 am a Paracetamol tablet helped.

I went to work across the river and did what needed to be done then headed home.

The big mistake was using the thumb and finger to grasp the tooth which seemed to be causing the problem and give it a little wriggle. The result was  intense and ongoing pain. The next Paracetamol seemed to take forever to take effect.

The regular dentist doesn't work Wednesdays or Thursdays and the best they could do was get a substitute for the next day. I pleaded a little harder. I wasn't going to last that long. They would check again and call back. The time was used listing out alternated providers, B, C and D just in case.

I've done some nasty things to my body in the past. Badly cut and bleeding parts of the body are patched and we're back in action. Nasty falls etc. barely have any effect. But a tooth brings the entire universe to a halt. What is it? Just the proximity to the brain? I would have thought with a bloke it might be some other notable body parts that halt all progress.

Fresh cloths were donned in anticipation. I was going somewhere no matter what. Funny about teeth, money plays second fiddle.

She rang! 3.30 has been allocated. I got there early. I had no other task that could be focused upon.

Within 5 minutes of reclining there was euphoria. Local anaesthetics have that effect. After more than 24 hours of discomfort this was bliss. The dentist now known as Jesus of Nazareth had laid his hands upon me and I was cured. Well at least able to function normally again.

The amazing thing is that he did cure me. It was not the feared abscess just a severe gum infection where a Wisdom tooth had been removed the prior year. Some descaling, scrapping and mopping up was all that was needed. A little adjustment to the interface between the upper and lower teeth nearest the problem to minimise pressure and a droplet of Iodine.

The local anaesthetic wore off but the anticipated pain didn't return. We ate dinner, still no pain. Slept like the dead all night, still no pain.

The prescription for antibiotics and a handful of pain killers were not needed.

A miracle