Neither me nor the husband boast of the best teeth in the world- infact, we are so much in sync for all sorts of dental trouble,predominantly caused by cavities and their aftermath.
Unlike me, the husband flosses multiple times, brushes properly( I brush too,its just that I’m known to miss the nightly ritual) and basically does everything most dentists recommend regularly.
A while back, he felt a small portion of his tooth broken and *gulp* realized that it might have disintegrated along with the food. This horrific realization was enough for me to start nagging him to visit the dentist. As if my agonies weren’t enough, we had well-meaning people telling us that the part of the tooth that he has supposedly swallowed might tear a portion of his stomach :O :O :O
I was appalled on hearing this and literally pushed him to make the appointment as we do not see such things with the same level of importance as in most houses, I suppose. Sigh.
The doc had a look,told us it was nothing much to worry and asked us to schedule an appointment for his root canal. I even asked her about the tearing part( yes, I know- I get worked up when people tell us such things, regardless of what my brain tells me). She said it was nothing of that sort.And we relaxed. A little too much.
Before we scheduled the next appointment, we went on a short vacation and got back to work and fun. Basically forgot all about it.
The previous weekend, the pain started slowly. By Monday he was in considerable agony. Upon calling the usual dentists , we were told that they were on vacation now and for this entire week!!! Even then, our man thinking his ability to withstand pain is second to no other kept calm. However by evening, he realized that he was not going to be able to do ANYTHING else unless he does something about the pain.
What followed is something I can never forget because it was one of those times when you feel helpless and wish you could be more useful to the situation than just be a silent spectator.
Since the pain began to worsen , we decided to find the nearest-decent dental clinic open and just gate crash there. Fortunately for us, we did find something although a good 20-25 mins away.Still, as long as someone was there and ready to look at his teeth, we couldn’t care less then.
However, there was a small deal here-he had to drive us there since I do not know to drive.
Believe me, the agony of seeing someone in pain and having to drive himself to the hospital is enough to shake you. And it did. It shook me so badly that I was trembling at his pain and at my total helplessness. Not that he minded too much,but still, I knew the kind of pain he would have been in and I could not,for the life of me,imagine myself driving with it.
I believe that day was a day with a lesson for me- LEARN TO DRIVE NOW! I don’t think I will put off learning anymore. Not after the scare. I keep thinking what would have happened had he not been in a position to drive? Had it been something worse? If we had to travel a longer distance?
I know that public transport and taxis exist.But believe me, I have trouble finding autos in broad daylight when I travel to work. I don’t even want to imagine an emergency situation where friends are currently away and public transport unavailable.