Reminisicing The Dentist Horror

Dear Diary,

I have been having this toothache for the past three days now. I am not sure if it is the tooth or the gum but I can feel that my gum is swollen. The pain is just too much for me to handle. It is pounding and very excruciating. I cannot chew my food so obviously my rights and privileges to eat solid food have been strip off. I cannot recall what causes the swell but I remember on our way back to Singapore from Tangkak, I ate crispy cuttlefish and some of it gets stuck in between my teeth and that perhaps causes it.

I did not go to the dentist. I do not think that it is that serious but I have never had something like this for more than a day. As I am writing to you, I can feel my gum pounding and every time the teeth from the bottom and top row grit, I will experience this enormous pain. At times, I really wish that I have a painkiller or something to ease the pain or I imagined myself extracting my teeth out with a plier.

You know Diary, this toothache reminds me of my younger days when I was in primary school. It is natural to lose our baby teeth when we are six or seven, right? When I was at those ages, I remembered how mum used to be my dentist. We tried all ways to extract my loose teeth. We had use the thread that we tied to my teeth and then mum would pull the thread and the teeth would come off. We also waited until the very last minute until the teeth is loose and mum would pull the teeth with her fingers. I was not scared at that time because somehow I knew it was my mum who was going to do it. I supposed it was the natural feelings of trust that I had with mum.

There was also this one time when my teeth was not very loose but mum insisted on pulling it off. I was afraid of the pain that I could be experiencing so I tried my best to talk her out of it but my effort was in vain. She made a decision based on the concept of ‘mum knows best’ and the next minute I knew, one quarter of her right palm was in my mouth. Her fingers were wriggling my teeth slow and steady. I did not cry but I felt how fast my heart was beating at that time. The wriggling continued until I could taste blood when I was swallowing. The minute that happened, I knew it was going to come off soon. My heart beat even faster and mum somewhat used a little bit of force to pull out the teeth and it did come off and slipped from mum’s fingers into my mouth. I was overcome with surprised, pain and shocked, I blew out the teeth out of my mouth, and it landed on my mum’s lap. She laughed at it and it took me awhile to digest what really happened actually. Mind you Diary, what happened was quite an ordeal for me. Well, what do you expect? I was six for crying out loud.

I also recall how I hated so much to go to the dentist in school. I became afraid and cursed silently in my heart every time when some pupil from other class walked in to my classroom to give the dentist card to the teacher in charge. Upon receiving the card, the teacher in charge would call out the name of the student. I always prayed in my heart that it was not going to be me. The fear that I have with doctors and dentist or anybody that uses a white robe as some kind of a uniform at work is beyond description. I have had it since I was young. I hate the clinics, hospitals, doctors, dentist and nurses. I do not fancy them at all.

I recollect how I was called to go to the dentist during the school holidays when I was in primary one. My dad had to take leave from work just to send me to the school’s dentist. I had wished earlier that my dad would forget the appointment but he did not and my regret was beyond description. When I got to the dentist, they were happily waiting for me. The nurses made small talks with my dad and I just stood there. My palms were sweaty and my knees were weak. My heart was beating as though it was bouncing a hundred times a minute. Imagine the fear that enveloped me.

The dentist called me and I went to the seat and lay my body there. I opened my mouth and she did her job. It seemed nothing serious was to take place at that time. I was happy and thought that I could leave soon. I was let down. She took something from the cabinet and I saw she was holding something big. I could not make it out what was it at that time but it was big. It was like a giant syringe with big needle. Now Diary, when a six-year-old kid who has an existing phobia of dentist saw something like that, wouldn’t she be panicked? As I saw that, I cried out and I got up from my seat. I ran out to my father and the dentist chased after me. I thought my father would just bring me home but he did not. Instead, he sweet-talked me into going back to the room so that the dentist can finish her job.

Now as a kid, I was very obliging to my parents. I have never once talked back or ignored them when they told me things to do. In addition, my dad, he was such a sweet talker. Therefore, I did what he asked me to do. I was already crying but I knew I would not be able to outrun them even if I ran and I was obviously outnumbered and out strengthed. When I was on the chair, again the dentist took the big giant syringe and one more time I got terrified. My dad was sitting next to me and he held my hands so I could not blocked or closed my mouth with my hands. Anyway, out of fear anything was possible I guessed. I shut my mouth tight, not wanting to open it up. Since the dentist had to hold the syringe with both hands, my dad had to force open my mouth and when he did that, he had to let go of my hands and so I held on his hands to my mouth and Diary, guess what I did to his hands? I bit them. And trust me I really bit them hard. My dad cried out a little. The dentist gave up and dad could not do anything else except settle for the last resort; my mum.

You know how every one of my siblings are afraid of mum don’t you Diary? My mum is like this dragon where she can blow out fire from her nostrils or mouth or whatever openings she has in her body when she is mad. Dad called mum to come to my school and I was angrier to my dad then. I felt betrayed and so fearful of the implications when mum arrives. By then, I was already up from the chair and I was standing by the doorway crying. Tears were streaming down my face. I was tired, scared and angry with everybody especially my dad for calling my mum. He knows that was and still is my weakness.

When mum arrived, she just gave me that infamous look that she would give everyone of us when she deemed we have misbehaved in public. I saw that look and my knees grew even weaker. And I supposed you know what happened next. Whatever the dentist wanted to do to my teeth, it was done smoothly without interruptions. My dad need not hold my hands. My dad need not sit next to me to calm me down. All thanks to mum, the iron woman with that powerful effective killer look that makes me tame as a kitten.