Journal of James's Journey with Jesus

TOOTH ACHED

I visited the dentist on Monday and today. My lower left molar, second tooth from the back, ached real bad since last Saturday. I had been having headaches, flu and a seemingly feverish lethargy.

The dentist was a really gentle Indian man who was very patient with me, answering all my questions. He was really nice in giving me an unofficial discount too. He inspires me to be a dentist.

Anyway, an X-ray showed that the germs had drilled with acid into my tooth and was hurting my nerve. The doctor gave me a temporary filling and gave me two options: go for a root canal or extraction.

I went back and consulted my dad, who had a root canal before. He said the pain was so excruciating he went through it halfway and then extracted the tooth. So being less of a brave man than my father, who was good at enduring pain, I decided to go for the extraction.

I went back this morning and the dentist stuck a super long needle into my mouth and injected anaesthetic into the back of my left jaw several times. I was then told to wait outside for the anaesthethic to take effect.

As I was there, fearful in anticipation of further pain, I remembered about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. For that one short moment, I understood shallowly how He must have felt. The prospect of pain that was necessary must have paralyzed Him with fear.

He could not just say to the Father, "I am not going to sacrifice myself for these blind humans. Most of them will not even be grateful for what I will do. Even Peter, my best disciple, will forsake me. Can't You choose another man or do it some other way?"

He knew that He had to go through the pain of torture and crucifixion in a few hours just like I knew I had to face the extraction in less than an hour. The anticipation of necessary pain is dreadful. But somehow, knowing Jesus went through it as well made me a little braver.

I thought of a joke while waiting for my turn.

What was the dentist's defence to the man who complained that he waited so long to see him?

Ans: I am dentist, you are patient.

The dentist injected some more anaesthethic into my gums several times. Then the real pain came. He used a spanner and fastened it on my tooth that was strong and not a bit shaky at all.

He then turned it slowly in a clockwise direction. He did that for at least 15 revolutions. I would have cried normally but somehow I had found strength in Jesus. The pain made me vow I would never be lazy to brush my teeth again.

The tooth finally came out and with it a mouthful of blood. The root of the tooth was about twice as long as the visible tooth above the gumline. I had to bite on wire gauze for 1 hour.

Even then, the bleeding did not stop. I had to swallow whatever saliva, medicine and blood accumulated in my mouth. I must have drank at least three big mouthfuls of that terrible mixture.

Right now, my gums still hurt but has stopped bleeding. I cannot eat solid food as chewing with my right molars would hurt and disfigure my jaw. That was my permanent tooth. I am wondering whether to get a bridge(fake teeth) cemented over the empty gap.

But they would have to file my teeth to make a space for an artificial tooth. I am not looking forward to pain again but what else can I do? I cannot eat porridge forever. Please pray for a solution. I'm hoping a miracle will happen and I will be the first human with regenerative teeth.

I am going to post an article soon, as soon as I am done with my academic obligations. Normally I jot down my thoughts on my handphone and assemble them into an article. The process of crafting the articles is what takes so long. It takes three hours on average.

I have 13 pages worth of drafts(about 4-6 articles) to craft. However, I am not going to rush it. I will let God bring me through different places and experiences before I write an article. There is a time for everything; patientience makes perfection.