Lessons from a Root Canal

Realizing that life is filled with lessons if only we have the heart to listen and learn from them, I was not totally surprised when this week's Root Canal, the evil dentist's masterpiece of pain, happened my way.

I have had a tooth ache for the better part of this summer as I was waiting to go to a dentist until my dental insurance plan kicked in. A painful wait, admittedly, but one I was so used to that when it stopped hurting yesterday I was beside myself with relief!

The tooth looked pretty good, had been filled years ago with the silver stuff of old, and had begun chipping away exposing what turned out to be a festering infection underneath the surface of the tooth. When I first went to the dentist two weeks ago she showed me the xrays revealing a nasty, dangerous infection that was even into my jawbone by then. "You've had this pain for awhile haven't you?" she rhetorically questioned. "Well, we need to clear up the infection before we can begin the Root Canal, and then hope it hasn't done too much harm."

Having heard that Root Canals are worse than childbirth and having nearly died after 5 of those, I was not in the least interested in that situation. I suggested an extraction instead(kind of like suggesting a C-section when I was giving birth naturally , I suppose)and her obvious condescension at my lack of understanding of all things dental became clear. "It is always better to keep your own teeth" was her response.

Well, as my story goes, antibiotics taken for 5 days did indeed clear up part of the infection making her able to proceed with her plan. The needle she used for numbing the pain went into my gum, surely a foot even though it was visually a mere 2" in length. It hurt a little, but after another waiting period , she re-entered the room with a 4" needle aimed at my jaw. OH MY GOODNESS! Terror struck until she calmly said it would be painless. "Trust me and Relax" I heard as I closed my eyes. Nothing happened. No pain, no screaming, no disastrous heart failure, nothing. Had she forgotten to use it? Was I dead? None of those options seemed likely as I heard from somewhere beyond my thumping heart, a dental drill.

I am now sporting a healthy tooth, the infection replaced by the skilled dentist's tools and expertise, the promise of a little more discomfort ahead but an end result of a healthy mouth. She explained that there had been deep infection but after xrays revealed she cleared it all out, she was confident of a trouble free tooth.

Seven years ago God allowed an apparently healthy, sound marriage, to undergo a Root Canal. It seems there was a bad infection under the surface and unknown to me, the little pains I was feeling were evidences of a very deep and dangerous infection. When the chipping away started , it proceeded very quickly and for an entire summer I was in pain. Oftentimes it was unbearable and advil didn't help at all. Neither did wise counsel nor sound advice, I needed the Master Dentist, GOD HIMSELF to fix my problems. My husband left our family, our marriage and our country. His choices and his dental work are far away and his own painful story.

I can only tell my story. God used a numbing agent on me in order to prepare me for the really big needle that would deal with the really big infection. Normally it would have been very painful , but because He surrounded me with His anesthesia I kept going. What was His anesthesia, one might wonder? I can only attest to my own discoveries. He used His Word and Truths, He used His people- my friends, He used Time with the gift of tears.He used lots of tears. Then the bigger needle of Divorce was inserted into my life. The work of clearing the infection had begun, and my life was becoming healthier as a result.

I have wanted there to be a reason for this story to have gone the way it did, I hoped for purpose behind the pain, maybe even a happy ending somehow to emerge. I will never have a new young tooth in my mouth , nor will I have a renewed marriage in my world. I do know I am living now without pain, I can chew tentatively on that side of my mouth when before I avoided all hard candies or tougher cuts of meat!

Likewise, I am discovering ideas I can chew on more vigorously,a healthy base in my life because it has been revealed that it is infection free now. Perhaps the best Truth of all is because God said "Relax and trust Me". With my eyes tightly closed, tears flowing, less each year,He is continuing to clear up the infection, and I am somehow healthier for having Him as my Dentist.

One more thing I might note. Annual check-ups are so critical!! I couldn't afford to have my teeth checked by a dentist, it cost too much. The painful discovery of the dentist applied is that it is costing more now to fix what was under the surface brewing.

Marriages might need check-ups too, even for pastors and their families, maybe expecially for pastors and their families. I am praying that God used my nasty and unhealthy infection to caution others, but especially my children, to have regular check-ups, be accountable to someone with more wisdom and authority and expertise, to Trust God and relax.