The philosophy of toothache


In the dead of night, you have this bout of existentialism, when you think about what really life means to you, the direction it is taking and if it really was the currant cake that your sweet tooth couldn’t resist is causing your brain cells to go all crazy. Toothache does bring in life's philosophy, its queries and medical fraternity into my domain in a very scary way.

I don’t think I like being in a dentist's chair but then I am probably voicing the thoughts of whole humanity here. I actually expect the toothache to scare me for a couple of days and then go away on its own..but when it continues for three- four days and starts interfering with my sleep, the real horror of the situation sinks in and the drill seems closer and closer.

Of course I ought to have taken better care, and those calcium tablets..why in the name of heaven did I avoid them and yes..milk is supposedly good and I did brush for mandatory 2 minutes everytime..of course cavities shouldn’t hurt..they aren’t supposed to..and the molars that really can’t decide if they want to come out completely in this decade or need another decade to make an appearance in their full glory..something ought to be done about those too.. Thoughts fly thick and fast generating more questions than answers and I wake up the next morning all drained from the effort of brainstorming all night and sleepwalk through the day..dreading the night.

You think of the times when you were tooth-ache-free and those times seem like the happiest times of your life-talk of change in perspective-you try to be positive and repeat the golden adage- ‘this too shall pass’ five times in a day..you look at people and all you can think about is their teeth and cavities and you unconsciously think more and more about the temperature of food you are about to put in your mouth thinking of the time when you could gobble everything and anything with ease..

And then when the ache leaves you, with or without doctor’s intervention, you feel relieved, wide-eyed, wiser and tamed by the experience. That’s the point I’m at in my life right now. Thankful and really glad that I can sleep all night and eat everything. You learn to appreciate ache-free days and nights..you start living in gratitude..I know I sound like a Yoga guru but I’m not kidding. I’m happier and I try not to think of what my dentist said the last time I saw him. Had the dreamboat I saw at the mall the other day with Geeky look said those words I’d have been – t-h-r-i-l-l-e-d- but when your dentist says-‘ We need to meet one more time- with your X-Ray report,’ you kinda feel like flag at half mast with absolutely no hope of any windy gale to perk you up..but then that’s life !