The Dental Ordeal

 Dental care in United States is considered a very costly affair plus we as students on a meager student insurance do not enjoy the dental and eye care benefits. Does that mean "our" smiles are flawed!! Well I never realized this until I had gone to India and knocked my dentist's doors for a routine checkup. Dr. Mitra being our family friend and doctor was going to give me a tough time ahead that never occurred in wildest of my dreams...

It all started with a mere ulcer I developed as a result of small food particles housing for few days uncleaned. I was being administered anti-biotics for a month and it got over there and then! I was so wrong and this doctor freaked me out telling it was a serious problem of swollen gums and need a contouring to fix it. I was hardly listening to him while he was examining the aperture wide open. "Well we would need a very small surgery to fix it" he said in a plain monotone. This was enough to bring me out of my reverie and I was suddenly scared of what would that exactly mean. I just had few days to return to US and undergo a Surgery! "Are you kidding me...I never had one in my successful healthy career of 23 years!!, how am I going to face it? ".... He was smiling and it indicated of my first ever Dental Ordeal to come.

I was not allowed to eat much before 3 hours of surgery. I was the first patient that evening and with his crowbar and a shinning steel probe, the doc opened my mouth wide open and punchured my gums for anesthesia. A small prick did its job and my mouth felt all numb. My lips felt bee stung and tongue, as if it adhered to one place. I was spitting uncontrollably. Soon the anesthesia got weaker and I was given one more shot. What a scene it was.

I was happily ushered in the "Dental OT" that had a nice leaning chair equipped with tools, overhead fancy lamp, a small tap on one arm and a scary handcuff on either sides. This was not enough. He opened his tool kit that had a deadly collection of sorts - drills 1,2,3, burs, probes, excavators, burnishes and pluggers. Forceps and chisels came next in a well protected case. He assured me to use his Orthodontic and Endodontic sets as easy as possible.

His assistant, a tall black guy wore face mask and signalled the doc to got ahead and "drill the girl's gums...!!!". He was watching me sweat and closed my eyes forcefully to get ready for the incisions. The drill machine was getting noisier and I could feel the scraper operated on my gums. To stop the gushing blood he had a bundle of cotton that was stuffed in my mouth time and again. The battle took 15 minutes till they both started to wind up and move out of the place. While I was given a chance to regain control, a marathi speaking nurse came over talking sweet to me and cleaned blood stains off my mouth and neck. The entire 15 minutes horrible movie was rallying before my eyes. I was never allowed to gather my senses of what was happening as the doc constantly switched his tools. That was gory.

It took me an hour to cool down until I could speak normal again. "So you have your teeth properly embedded in the gums now. Looks great!" said the giggling doc. "Thanks, I guess everyone has to pay a price to look better" I said in a broken speech. Soon doc was busy explaining me the secrets of good dental care and follow up medications of the surgery.

I was being reminded of Flossing. A lot of times a good toothbrush fails to clean the stuff between the teeth or in the cavity. A regular dental floss(which is not more than a loose mint string) can help us avoid swelling gum problem as it removes food and plaque easily. For some reasons dental care is ignored and we rely on mere brushing teeth daily. Added to it a little bit of 3 step flossing can elude such Dental Ordeals and we can, for all practical reasons, keep the dentist and his crowbar away. :)

Though for a few days I gave people a skewed smile swallowing the dental cement(it does not taste really that bad), thanks to the doc for giving me, my best healthy smile that I want to preserve forever...

So Happy Brushing and Flossing!