My Vacation at the Dentist

My wife and I hav

e been waiting for some time off to go on vacation. Finally we both arranged

days off and the trip was planned…

Here I am -3 days before our dream were about to come true – all nervous, anxious and

completely scared just of an idea of having a tooth pulled. No amount of assurances could

put me at ease over the “EXTRACTION” I was facing at 9:00 AM that particular Monday.

After all, I have never had a tooth pulled out before. This tooth, which has been the source of

dental trauma for me since I was about six years old was about to face the ultimate sacrifice.

I went Inside a tastefully decorated, newly opened dental practice. Comfortable chairs, a

picture of a really big tooth with clever words of wisdom, relaxing music and fashion

magazines with Richie McCaw on the cover. Not that I got to read it or anything because I

WAS FIRST IN LINE! 9:00 AM and time had run out for me and my molar.

In the chair and after some brief exchanges of pleasantries between us, the “MASK” was on.

Like every recipe your grandmother ever gave you, there’s always a “secret ingredient” that

actually made the dish pretty good, which in the case of an “EXTRACTION” would be the gas.

After a few inhalations I felt like I am in the rainforest with beautifully scented trees and

marmalade skies…”Yello” relaxation music was playing slightly above the sound of suction.

Every minute or two I would try to act like I was normal by looking at the dentist’s instruments

or staring in to her eyes to see the reflection of my opened mouth. She was holding my head

with one of her arms and was approaching the end zone in my mouth with determination. I

started to lose it thinking and imagining all the possible outcomes when I realized THIS IS IT!

She is going to pull my tooth! Then another “Yello” tune came on. It reminded me of a first

date and a million other things like vacations and people I hadn’t thought about in a very long

time. In only seconds I thought about every place I had ever been and wanted to go.

Tenochtitlan, Singapore, London. Maybe visit Israel or China. There were just so many

places that young people should visit while they can still fully enjoy it. Rebecca and I are still

young. We really should get away together.

“I’ll just clean it up for you ” doctor said. “Clean up what?” I asked . “Well, it chipped in one

place but I have the 3 roots”. I was still thinking of a countries to go when I realized my tooth

was already being prepared for display at home. Pretty cool…. Not only did I never feel a

thing but I had traveled through a time or space that somehow allowed me to visit a lot of

great vacation spots and wiped out 42 years of dental paranoia.

(Forever loyal the patient of Westgate Dental Centre)