My First Abscission

Right from our childhood we have a myth that surgeries are intricate, painful and panic. I’m no exception to it. I had to go to a dermatologist for a skin treatment who in turn advised me to go for a dental examination. I had managed to find a dentist nearby. Reading the name board I thought that the doctor might be in her mid 40’s or so. But to my great awe, she was much younger than I had anticipated. She welcomed us with a broad smile and took a general ordeal of my precious teeth. She told me that I had wisdom teeth, which when left unattended can cause very serious infections at a later stage. She suggested that I go in for a Scaling and OPG (Dental X-ray). Wisdom teeth appear as the last tooth in the mouth and begin to erupt in the age range of 16-25 years. When the dentist determines that no room exists for the wisdom teeth to erupt into a normal position, the decision then becomes, do you wait for the infection to occur or do you remove the tooth before infection and pain begins. I succumbed to the former. I was asked to lie down and she brought an instrument, which was very similar to a soldering device for the dental cleaning. At the very sight of it, I dreaded like hell. What does a soldering machine has to do with a small girl’s teeth? I closed my eyes and started praying. I think the dentist should have guessed my fear. She said it won’t pain, but you’ll feel something on the teeth. I said ok, still with my eyes closed. The device started doing its job through my teeth and gums and I felt some fluid flow in my mouth. I thought it might be my saliva. She stopped it in a second and asked me to spit. There came another shock. It was not saliva, it was blood!!!!!!!! The process continued and the merciless dentist took volumes of blood from my mouth. So far I have seen only actors taking blood vomiting due to Blood Cancer in films. But I never expected that I would be left at the same situation. Thank God, the course of action got over in 20 minutes. I visited another dentist with my x-ray and we were at the reception waiting for our turn. Meanwhile I gazed at the walls which caught my immediate attention. That dentist had got many awards and certifications which he had framed and put up in the welcome arena. I was wondering whether I was in a Dental Clinic or a Museum. Our turn had come and we entered the dentist’s room. The doctor with his serious face, well-built structure, neatly sheared head and French-beard reminded me of a megaserial villain. He examined my teeth and fixed a date for surgery. Again was another round of prescriptions and injections. My dad and me arrived at the clinic on the day of surgery. It was fixed at 8.30p.m. on a Saturday. Time was scuttling away too fast but the doctor hadn’t turned up. We were seated on the other side of the reception and now and so we could foretaste the IPL cricket match on the 22″ LCD monitor. While I was biting my nail at the crucial hour, my dad was devouring at his feast. As time passed by, the anxiety in me started to creep at a faster pace and I wished I could elope somewhere. Finally the dentist had arrived and I was called in at 9 p.m. I was spell bounded to see a rangy, charming, smart and cool dentist giving instructions to his fellow assistant inside the operation theatre. My God, how lucky I am. I thanked God for making my day!!!! After a brief inquiry on my x-ray, the dentist started his saga. He put one injection in my teeth, which was to make one part of the tongue and lip numb and ease the extraction. Next was an injection in my arm. It filled me with agony, but I was careful enough not to make a fuss in front of him. Once again I had to witness a soldering machine, much bigger in size now and the assistant was pouring water from a small tube simultaneously as the dentist was working on my pitiable teeth. The dentist elucidated each and everything as he continued with his modus operandi!!! At that point of time I cursed myself for not having studied properly in my 12th, lest I would have become a dentist or atleast an assistant to this sweet chap. The sly teeth had buried itself in the process of becoming extinct, coz of which I had to struggle between the dentist’s pressure and my doomed jaw. The mission’s pinnacle was reached when the teeth was finally detached from its place and brought to lime light. With a grin in his face, the dentist showed me the poor piece drenched in a pool of blood before proceeding to its post-mortem. After that he started working like a weaver on the outlet and put some 4-5 stitches. Then he gave me some Do’s and Don’t s for the next 1 week and assured me that I would be fine. I thanked him and left the place. After reaching home only I realised that I had forgotten to ask his name. But after that confrontation I had learnt two lessons: 1. Surgeries are not that daunting as you envisage. 2. To undergo a torment is also a bliss at times.