Tales of the Last 35 Years – My Lost Tooth and My Near Death Experience Part 2

There are times when you gain something, you lose something in return. I gained another lease on life (and avoided wrecking my car) but in return, I lost something dear to me for the last 35 years.

I had tooth extraction yesterday, ending a little less than 35 years of partnership at the dining table. It was still a good tooth, no decays whatsoever, but it has somehow affected its mouth-mates prompting them to vote him off in the very first eviction episode. The judge, jury, and executioner (aka the dentist) said the tooth was guilty of causing great discomfort---the highest form of crime a tooth can commit. He pleaded for root canal but was denied. Sentencing was swift and the verdict was death by extraction.

 

The day before the execution, I was preparing my tooth for the longest (and last) day of his life. I cleansed his soul by gargling Listerine. Surely, he sobbed a bucket (I was salivating the entire night) with every thought of the end. But with every passing moment, he was desensitized by Sensodyne as he began to accept his fate. In the hours leading to his death, we gave him a decent meal of pandesal and coffee. We gave him a good bath and massage by brushing. To make sure he smells good when he meets his maker, we blessed him with a strong dose of Betadyne.

As I walked to the execution chamber, he was steadfast. This is his fate. He has lived a full life of servitude, munching at bones and meat, even if it meant tartar and odor. He was ready. 

The dentist gave his final instructions. They were like prayers but no miracle was coming, no pardon. Death began by lethal injection of numbing meds. This way, he cant feel his life slipping away. Then came the heavy artillery and finally, the pliers which ended everything with a bloody mess. 

With tooth as souvenir (would make a nice necklace pendant), I was reminded of how swift life can be taken away. Often, it doesnt even come with a court date or a sentence. It can happen in an instant and you cant even say goodbye. God is great. If you think that Im just lucky, Im pretty sure God made that luck happen. I havent been the best Christian for the longest time and I doubt I'll start being one now, but things like this affirms my belief in Him and that ultimately, He made me stay a bit more to fulfill my destiny. 

I live to blog another day. 

PS

A day after I wrote this entry, it occurred to me what the priest said in his sermon. “It's our belief in God that saves us”. Amen to that.