The Broken Tooth

I hate the dentist.  Well, let me rephrase that.  I don’t hate the dentist as a person (my dentist is actually a family friend), I hate having to GO to the dentist.  I hate dentistry work.  I’ve gone through many medical procedures in my lifetime, but there is something about even just a teeth cleaning that brings on some mild anxiety.  I will do almost anything to avoid going.  I. Don’t. Like. It.

But, regardless of my feelings, I recently had to go.  No thanks to my putting it off, I now had some big issues that needed to be addressed, the biggest of which was a broken tooth.  The molar on the top left had broken and needed to be looked at.

The day for my appointment arrived.  Knowing what was coming, I hadn’t slept well the night before.  My appointment time was bright and early - 7:30 in the morning.  At least I would get it over with right away.

I arrived at the dentist office and gave myself a “You can do this” pep talk as I waited for them to call my name.  When my time came, I got settled in the chair, and the doc came in.  I explained about my broken tooth, assuring him that it wasn’t causing me any discomfort - not affecting me at all.  I simply knew it was there and needed to be fixed.

He took one look at the broken tooth and said, “Ya, that doesn’t look good at all.  You say it isn’t causing pain?”  Again, I assured him, “Nope.  No pain at all.”  He took me through my options: I could either spend hours in the chair while he tried to fill and repair the tooth - requiring a root canal - or we could pull it.  The root canal would be expensive and time consuming - and not even guaranteed to work long term.  Most likely, given the amount that was broken off, I would have trouble with it again in the future.  Pulling would be quick, and I wouldn’t have any more issues with that tooth ever again.  I opted to pull it out.

He and his assistant gathered their tools and got to work.  They got my mouth fully numbed, and he started to pull.  It was a difficult task - there wasn’t much tooth to hold on to - so it took a little work.  He finally got it out and showed me the tooth.  I was quite surprised at just how bad it was.  Pulling was definitely the correct decision.

I went home armed with plenty of gauze and instructed to take pain medication before the numbing wore off.  My mouth was sore as everything began to heal, but, by the very next morning, something dawned on me.  Even though it was tender, overall, my mouth felt better.  The left side of my mouth felt…different.  In a good way.  

It was then that I realized the tooth actually had been causing discomfort.  It had been affecting me - how I chewed, how I brushed my teeth.  Even when I smiled, my cheek would brush against the tooth and cause some pain.  But I suppose I had lived with it for so long that I got used to the discomfort and the way it affected my life.  And now that it was gone, I wondered why I had put up with the pain and let it affect my everyday life for so long.

When I think about it, we can have a “broken tooth” in our spiritual lives as well.  That broken tooth can be something like bitterness, unresolved anger, or not forgiving someone for an offence against us.  We can walk around, knowing it’s a part of our life but refusing to deal with it.  Because dealing with it is going to be uncomfortable.  It’s going to cost something.  It’s going to be painful.  

So we go about, saying it isn’t really affecting us or causing us any pain.  We convince ourselves it isn’t hurting us.   But the truth of the matter is that it IS affecting us - every day.  Hidden behind our smile is that dull pain that something isn’t right.  The way we react to certain situations or people, the way we “chew” over certain thoughts in our mind are all influenced by that “spiritual broken tooth.”   That brokenness - the hurt, anger, bitterness or lack of forgiveness - causes us to not see things properly or deal with them in the right way.

But if we dig deep and take a close look, shining a light on the issues, we will see that it doesn’t look very good - that it IS a problem that needs to be fixed.  And if we deal with it, if we remove it from our lives, we will see how much better things can be and how much more comfortable we will feel.

I knew my tooth had a problem, but I needed the help of the dentist, the expert, to tell me that it really did not look good and I could ignore it no longer.  He helped me remove it, and it didn’t take long for me to feel relief I didn’t know I needed.

Getting rid of anger and bitterness in our lives is not an easy task.  Finding the courage to forgive someone for a deep hurt that you have been carrying with you for a long time is going to be difficult.  It will be uncomfortable, and it will hurt.  But God, the expert at removing these things, is there, ready to help you deal with them.  Ignoring them is only hurting you, causing you unnecessary discomfort. 

Take it from me - the relief I felt once the tooth was gone brought about a sense of freedom. It was easier to smile, chew and even brush my teeth.  You can find similar relief in your life once you have removed the anger and bitterness or sin “that so easily besets” you like it is said in Hebrews.  The freedom you will feel once it is gone will be worth all the pain and discomfort you go through when removing it.

Note: Sometimes, our need to pinpoint and deal with the anger, hurt, or forgiveness may require the help of a professional counsellor. I encourage you to not be afraid to go see one, preferably an impartial Christian counsellor. There is no shame in seeking help when we need it.