My encounter with.. the Dentist

My mind was recollecting the words from the poem, by Ogden Nash - This going to hurt just a little bit..I knew since a month ago that this had to be done - I should not postpone it further..

I had 29 teeth - 15 on top and 14 below. Unfortunately the 15th walla tooth on top was biting into the empty gum below and I was developing a nasty cheek bite. I was ok to live with it. I was living so, till I had a complete health check up done. I was glad to know that nothing was wrong with my health, and a little perturbed when, the doctor said, I would be even better, if I could lose a few kilograms.Well, I thought, I too wish for that..it would be a dream come true. All was well except the revelation that I had 29 teeth, and the odd man tooth, which was causing the cheek bite was decaying. The dentist who checked my teeth, suggested to go for extraction, or root canal, depending on the comfort of the dentist who would work on it, since it was the last tooth and was quite far from reach of tooth brush.

So started the regime of mine to try to peep at the decaying extra fellow at the far end of the mouth, with the help of two mirrors, whenever I could, much to the amusement of my husband, at my trying to juggle the mirrors to get a better view and at my funny facial expressions.

I had something or the other coming up - be it, guests coming up,interviews to attend or shopping to be done that a month passed by without me doing anything for my teeth. Wait a minute, I had my teeth cleaned up a fortnight ago and that was where I was told to get my teeth xrayed(OPG).The dentist(she was very patient to my queries) wanted to be sure that i did not have any ''wisdom'' tooth coming up on my lower jaw corresponding to the decaying one above. I got the xray done a week ago.

 

 

The rings on the sides are my earrings which I said would not want to take off

The dentist got the copy of OPG in mail.So she called up and got an appointment fixed. I had may apprehensions like would the shape of my face alter after extraction, whether I would be able to chew normally, whether, I would be able to speak normally, if it would be too painful, how long would the local anesthesia last, what I would do if I have unbearable pain after the anesthesia wears off, how long would it take before I could speak, would it bleed very much, would not food particles get stuck into the gum, from where the tooth would be extracted. I got satisfactory answers for all.

My appointment was at 11.30 a.m. My husband came to the dentists' after i reached there. I was scared, I started sweating in the air-conditioned waiting room. I told my husband that I dont want to get the tooth extracted, and that I would live with the cheek bite. Unfortunately, I was called before I could run away. I was given a few injections of anesthesia in the gums. The dentist told me one of the injections would be painful and asked me not to get stressed, since, if I get stressed, the anesthesia would wear off faster and that he would have to give me one more injection. Alas, if I controlling stress was in my control. I was shivering and shaking just after getting the injection. I felt my inner wall of the mouth, on the side of problem tooth swell. But I did not feel the sensation. That area had gone numb. In no time, the dentist pulled the tooth and it was done. They stuffed cotton in my mouth and I was asked to bite on that area. I got scared unnecessarily. I was asked to eat loads of ice-cream, much to my joy. I chose different flavours of family packs. I was not able to speak for nearly 2 hours. After that, I enjoyed my ice-cream, and I am good to go, except for the sore in the mouth where the tooth was, which I am sure will heal soon. As of now, I don't have much pain. Its 6.30p.m now. Need to wait and see after the anesthesia wears off.

Here is the poem by Ogden Nash, which I had enjoyed very much..Hope you enjoy it too.

This Is Going To Hurt Just A Little Bit
One thing I like less than most things is sitting in a dentist chair with my mouth wide open.
And that I will never have to do it again is a hope that I am against hope hopen.
Because some tortures are physical and some are mental,
But the one that is both is dental.
It is hard to be self-possessed
With your jaw digging into your chest.
So hard to retain your calm
When your fingernails are making serious alterations in your life line or love line or some other important line in your palm;
So hard to give your usual effect of cheery benignity
When you know your position is one of the two or three in life most lacking in dignity.
And your mouth is like a section of road that is being worked on.
And it is all cluttered up with stone crushers and concrete mixers and drills and steam rollers and there isn't a nerve in your head thatyou aren't being irked on.
Oh, some people are unfortunate enough to be strung up by thumbs.
And others have things done to their gums,
And your teeth are supposed to be being polished,
But you have reason to believe they are being demolished.
And the circumstance that adds most to your terror
Is that it's all done with a mirror,
Because the dentist may be a bear, or as the Romans used to say, only they were referring to a feminine bear when they said it, an ursa,
But all the same how can you be sure when he takes his crowbar in one hand and mirror in the other he won't get mixed up, the way you do when you try to tie a bow tie with the aid of a mirror, and forget that left is right and vice versa?
And then at last he says That will be all; but it isn't because he then coats your mouth from cellar to roof
With something that I suspect is generally used to put a shine on a horse's hoof.
And you totter to your feet and think. Well it's all over now and after all it was only this once.
And he says come back in three monce.
And this, O Fate, is I think the most vicious circle that thou ever sentest,
That Man has to go continually to the dentist to keep his teeth in good condition
when the chief reason he wants his teeth in good condition
is so that he won't have to go to the dentist.

Civic Sense

I am typing this out, out of disgust and irritation at the degrading civic sense in the so called civilised society. It is a common to sight people making the roadside public urinals, having little affliction to the moving traffic and passers-by. Guess, these people close their eyes while doing the job and lose themselves into the oblivion. You get to see the red graffiti created by people spitting on public walls, bus stops. While we feel it is our birthright to litter whereever we please.

Today I was travelling in the blue bus to work. A north east Indian lady, who I guess would be in her early thirties got into the bus. She was intantly noticeable, since she was very stylish and carried herself with attitude. Not to mention, her red streaked hai, cobalt blue nail color, purple eyeliner. I got a seat which was facing the backside of the bus, which gave me full viewof the bus. She sat in a sit 3 rows away from me. Let me tell you, though this is not a Volvo, it was an AC bus. SHe took out a polythene cover, in which she had cut water melon. She started eating them, only to spit out the seeds all over, inside the bus. No one took notice. I was disgusted to see such behaviour. She noticed me giving irritated looks, but still carried on with her eating(and spitting).I dont understand how people from a civilised society could behave like this.

I dont know if I should have stopped her when she spit for the first time. I dont know if I could have taken to moral policing, if I have the right. Well readers, I require your inputs regarding this..How do we handle situations like these.I feel that - This is my country, my world, I need to take care of it, by helping maintaining it clean and making it a good place to live in. How do we imbibe the same thoughts in our fellow human beings?