I sat behind the window watching the tree outside swish and swash in the wind. It was a pleasant day with occasional rain, but I was awaiting an examination on the dental examination chair.
Several Dentists, including the head dentist and his assistants, were preparing to pull out my molar tooth. They called it 6 and I read it as 46 probably 4 was the sign of a molar tooth. I prayed to God for safe surgery. It took me back to the recent happenings….It was a Friday night and we looked forward to a bright weekend when I began experiencing spasms of pain in my right jaw and teeth. I popped paracetamol in the evening and went for a trek. The pain grew worse that night. As doctors are usually not available on Sundays, I took a painkiller, but the pain kept getting worse and the next day I ended up at the dentist’s office. The dentist carefully examined the case and clicked a few x-rays saying ‘shoot’. They shot the pictures, uploaded them digitally and showed them to me. It showed a problematic wisdom tooth
The tooth was cleaned and treated but showed no change in my pain. It was soon decided that I would need surgery to remove the wisdom tooth. The Dentist said, ‘The wisdom tooth is of no use just like the appendix. Let go of it.’ I felt it was fine. The pain doubled and quadrupled every day. The Dentist checked again by hitting each tooth and said, ‘The X-ray doesn’t show anything much. You need a CBCT scan’.
A quick prescription was written and I was guided to the CBCT and OPG scan centre which was around 6 km away. The OPG unit is a spectacularly designed machine that rotates for approximately 20 seconds around the patient’s head during the procedure. I was asked to hold on to the Scan machine with my open mouth hooked on a rod with a plastic covering. The man disappeared and the machine swung me to and fro for 20 seconds.
The reports were sent in the night and I was diagnosed with a periodontal abscess, which is a pocket of pus in the gum tissues. Pictures showed a small red ball pushing out of the swollen gum. I was told, ‘ Two of your teeth need to be extracted.’
My family and my extended family were worried. They said, “You cannot have your teeth extracted as fast as lightning, take a second opinion’. My brother said, ‘You need an endodentologist’
I searched for a senior doctor with great experience and landed in a hospital named Face and Dental. Our first meeting with Dr Praksh Patil was a very different one, my case was examined by a junior doctor. I was apprehensive and looked at her following the same procedures as the other doctor. She was ready with her findings and the scan. We waited for Dr Patil who was extremely busy. Even though there were many patients waiting for him, we were moved closer to his desk. Dr Patil listened to me patiently. He answered all my questions. “It’s not the wisdom tooth causing pain, it’s the molar,” he said. You have a healthy tooth, but the abscess needs to be treated. Unfortunately, I must remove both teeth based on my diagnosis.
When did you get the root canal done for this tooth
I said, ‘Most of my teeth have been treated for this by various dentists, some from Mumbai, a few in Pune, and probably one or two in Hyderabad and Kerala too, but I fail to remember who did it now’.
Is it five-six years old?
I said, ‘I am much older’
I meant the tooth and the root canal treatment, Said He
I went down my memory lane and said all the silver cap ones are a decade old and the enamel ones are relatively new.
The hospitality at the Dentist’s place brought green tea, I nodded to and fro holding my chin. Dr Patil picked one and gulped it writing down his diagnosis.
I strained to see through my myopic eyes to see what he was writing.
I looked at him and said, What’s the alternative?
He continued, ‘There’s nothing to fear, removal of a tooth is painless here’
I objected, ‘Is removing teeth as painless as cutting our nails, your videos show it, and claim that it is painless’
He smiled and said, ‘That’s for kids, you can take the injection’
I immediately said, ‘I want to have my tooth retreated, Doctor
Dr Patil agreed and said, ‘Any time, even during the treatment, if we see that it isn’t worth saving the tooth, we will go ahead with the surgery.
I was treated by a root canal specialist, Dr Prajakta under Dr Patil’s guidance. The toothcap gave way after a great lot of struggle and then retreating the tooth was almost like stumbling through a hard cemented block. She filled the canals in the tooth with saline salts and sealed it once again, she said, I will complete it on Wednesday.
I was feeling much better with the best medicines that were given and a light heart.
On the third day, I was tormented by the pain once again. This time the painkiller did nothing and I reached out to Dr. Patil.
He said, ‘This is exactly what I predicted, however much we treat the tooth, finally you are going get this unbearable pain.
I was reluctant but weak with the pain.
He said, ‘It will be painless, I come across such cases almost every day and some days extract 30 teeth.
I said, ‘Haven’t you tried saving one?
He said, You don’t need to worry, it’s a worry for me as the tooth is a strong one.
I groaned and said, ‘If it’s strong, why do you want to extract it?
What is it that’s worrying you?
I said, ‘My nerves in my head, jaw and overall could get affected when you pull my tooth’.
He stood still and said, I will take good care, but this kind of pain is sure to recur, decide whether you would like the tooth to be extracted today or two days later.
Since it was painful, I exclaimed, ‘Go ahead now’.
I called my husband and told him about it, but the decision was mine. I did not want to blame anyone for the consequences.
A printed paper was given, I looked at it, and I could see everything hazy, I said, What’s this?
She said it was a Consent form for the Mini surgery.
After signing the surgical papers, I was brought into the operating room, where I awaited my tooth extraction.
Dr. Patil arrived dressed in his surgical attire, the nurses in white and the attendees in green. Dr Prajakta gently injected the anaesthesia and gave a gentle rub to my gums. A part of my tongue went limp along with the rest of the jaw.
Dr Patil tried to fool me with his words, One of the attendees kept the suction on, and each one was busy doing something exactly like we do when we build or topple a part of a building. A little later, I heard the click of my strong tooth drop weakly in the Petri dish.
I felt my tongue feel the space and I knew it was done. A lot of cotton was pushed in and I was given a lot more instructions…I kept listening for I wasn’t supposed to talk for 20 minutes.
I was asked to lie down in the postoperative area. Since I wasn’t responding my husband came to the hospital. ‘You could have waited,’ he said anxiously.
With a weak voice, I said, ‘I let go of what was holding on to me in my brain’. Drops of tears fell, but now they were in vain.
“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” — Steve Maraboli
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