The Tooth-fairy tale

Well, they say that there’s a tooth-fairy who comes and replace a child’s broken baby-tooth with a small payment. I don’t know whether it’s true or not. In my case a tooth-fairy never showed up beside my bed. But, for me, my dentist proved to be a tooth-fairy! No, he didn't rummaged through my pillow for a petty little baby-tooth, but he worked like a good-fairy brewing magic potions to alleviate someone’s severe twinge. Okay, then let me tell you my story, you’ll realize how true my words were.

The Story:

I was only 17, when I first discerned my toothaches. But as a 17-year-old teenager I had a lot other peppy things to do rather than consulting a dentist for a paltry issue like a “toothache”.  I had friends, tuitions, test-preparations, Adda (that’s ‘hangout’ in Bengali), budding romance and lot more teenage activities.
Though every time it ached I swore on god, that I must visit the doctor by today by hook or by crook, but the lesser the pain, the lesser the determination! It had been a few weeks, and I tried everything, like from grandma’s remedies to pain-killers, but, nothing seemed to be effective. I wished I could do away with that villainous teeth and uproot it with a pair of pincers.

At the first stage it was tolerable. My best friend, my parents, my sister everyone suggested not to indulge the pain and not to ignore the signs my body was constantly reminding me. But, as I said earlier, I was only 17, and seventeens never care for petty issues. And at the end of the day, the pain disappeared, then why should I go for a check-up, and who will take the responsibility if the dentist says, “I have to pull it out!”, like imagining uprooting a teeth with pincers is one thing and living toothless is completely other.
But I failed; I had to literally rush to the clinic. After checking my tooth with several tools, the doctor said in a baritone,

“How long you’re suffering?”

“Almost four months.”, I was ashamed of my own avowal.

The doctor was jotting down something in the prescription pad and suddenly looked at me with several wrinkles on his forehead.

“Are you serious?”, he again asked in a baritone.

I could hardly utter a word, so, I just nodded a head like a jerk. He then handed me a piece of paper which would contain the consequences of my frequent negligence. Before I could read it, the doctor himself told me,

“You have a cavity in your tooth. And, due to your continuous ignorance it has become a crater now.”

Believe me, his words scared me like hell, I thought, now know one can save me from being toothless! I asked him piteously,

“So, what is the remedy for this? Do I have to lose my teeth at the age of 17?”

The doctor smiled a little, might be for the first time, and said, “No, no, dentists of this age, don’t uproot teeth anymore. We have a better way to keeping the tooth and vanishing the pain at the same time. It’s called ‘Root-Canal Treatment’.”

The name was not unfamiliar to me; one of my friends has to go through the treatment once. But, I didn't know anything more about that, like what is the procedure and how the doctor performs it, whether it’s an operation or not. So, I asked him directly,

“You mean you’ll operate me?”

“No, no, Root-Canal Treatment is not an operation. Let me tell you step-by-step procedure.

•   First, you have to get me an X-ray of the affected tooth. 
•   Then, I will make an opening through the crown of that tooth.
  
•   Then I will remove the diseased pulp from your teeth, which we call a Pulpectomy in medical language. After that, I will thoroughly clean, enlarge and shape the pulp chamber and the root canals to prepare it to be filled.
•   It will take several sessions. You have to make sure that you come on the dates I give you.
•   In the meantime, I will fill you tooth temporarily so that nothing goes into your tooth. But, remember it’ll not be the final and permanent filling.
•   Next, the temporary filling will be removed and the pulp chamber will be filled with a permanent filling. A rubbery thing called gutta-percha will be inserted into the root canals and will be sealed into place with cement.
•   Finally, a crown will be placed over the tooth to maintain its previous shape and appearance like a facade.”

“Will it last for lifelong?”, I jumped into with my never-ending queries.

“Well, it depends on how much you love yourself. If you promise to take care of your health and not to ignore the indications of poor health anymore, then you can manage to make the restore tooth last for a lifetime.” , the doctor finally talked in comparatively soft voice.

“Please tell me how to take proper care of my teeth.”, I eagerly asked.

“Brushing twice daily and flossing daily, rinsing your mouth thoroughly with a fluoride mouthwash, rinsing mouth every time after eating something can save you from many other dental problems. And, yes, try using Colgate toothpaste. It’s a renowned product in the world of dental care. It’ll lessen all your oral problems.”

“Thank you doctor. I will be here on the due day of my first session.”

And I left the clinic.

The Aftermath:

After that consulting session with my dentist I went through a few sessions of Root Canal Treatment. Sometimes it pained, sometimes it did not. Now, I am completely cure, I don’t get nightmares about losing my teeth, I don’t have to hold my cheek all time. Now, I go to my dentist once in every three months to prevent any further dental problems. Now, you all know why I compared my dentist with a fairy. In the truest sense of the word ‘tooth fairy’, my dentist claims the name.

And, the Moral of the Story is:

There’s a famous Bengali proverb, “One doesn't value his teeth until it’s gone”. That proved to be very apposite for me. If I would have listened to everyone, when I first felt my toothaches, then I wouldn't have to gone for an expensive and painful treatment like a Root Canal Treatment. But, after death comes the doctor. Nevertheless, what I would now recommend you, is no to ignore warning signs, whatsoever it is. You may suffer a lot and value your health till it is in your court.

This article is written for the Indiblogger contest in association with Colgate.

Linked to My Healthy Speak Blog.

Images are from here.

Source: Wikipedia, Google, Colgate India