EVERY TRADE HAS GOT ITS OWN TRICK

The other evening I had a toothache and was virtually sleepless all the night. I had to spend the night while putting one towel in the mouth, so as the upper aching tooth should not come in contact with the lower teeth.  Next morning went on an expedition to our district head-quarter  to get immediate cure for the trouble, that I no longer able to endure. I enquired and gathered information about three dental clinics. But I opted for a lady dentist for the reason her clinic is situated in the most affluent nursing home of this town. On entering the dental clinic I found   a couple of patients waiting even before the doctor reached the clinic. All of them rested either their chick or the chin on their palm as if in a state of deep mourn. I too went and joined the bandwagon.

When the doctor reached, we all had a sense of relief  even before she could attend any of us. First  the school going kid entered the chamber. He had a couple of rotten teeth obviously for the reason, you all know it better. After this kid entered the consultancy room, I could hear  the  shouting  ooh...ahh…..ouch. The second one  was a  pan chewing old man, may be in his sixties.  He had one trouble some tooth. A  person’s future might be  written on  his or her palm, where as his past  is sculpted on the teeth. I started getting nervous, as it would be my turn.

While entering the consultancy room instead of a smile, I folded my hands to greet the doctor as because I wanted to have a painless cure. I narrated her how I spent  the horrendous previous night. She told, “just lay down on the inspection chair, before that  remove your spectacle, cell phone and money-purse which  carry  the debit-card as they should not interfere with the electronic equipments”. Obediently, I placed  them on her consulting  table.

The doctor  wore a new set of gloves while measuring the thickness of my money purse. She picked a scalpel and asked me to open my  mouth. With this instrument she touched my trouble-some tooth.  A single touch of it  sent a shock wave to my entire body, while my legs were thrown to the air.  For a while she inspected it thoroughly  and then with a grave face told to take  immediate action before  it is too late. She narrated the things which I seldom able to understand, reason being I myself is  not a doctor.  I told, “here with I am surrendering myself,  do what would be best”.

She invited me to her consulting table. She prescribed a high dose of antibiotics to heal the wound fast. She asked  me to  attend her clinic every  fourth day  till I regain my  lost  smile. When I returned to her clinic on the fourth day, she asked me to lay down on the clinical chair. Now this dental chair looked as an  abattoir to me.  I was nervous. She  told, “behave as  a man, don’t be emotional”. She injected anaesthesia, which made my upper  lip and nose  numb. I asked her, “if my nose is functioning,  will I be alive”. Than with the help of a hand operated machine she drilled the tooth. When the days job  was over she asked me to pay Rs.300 /- for this gruelling session.

On the third visit as well same course of  operation carried on. Once again it was Rs.300 /-. On the fourth session she told,  “I can regain the lost charm in my face if I accept her suggestion”.   She proposed me to have a crown. An artificial tooth will cost Rs.1,500/-. Now on ward no one would be aware of my missing tooth. It would   be a metal tooth, where as the outer surface will have  an acrylic fibre  that will make it look as a real bone. I agreed to her advice, as because I am still a bachelor.  Then she started  placing different shades of white  tooth  to match with  the  colour of my teeth. It reminded me of my mother, how the shop keeper able to show different shades of blouse pieces to match her newly  acquired saree.  Nothing matched  the colour of my teeth. I got impatient and approved for a shade resembling nearest to the shade of my teeth. Once again I counted three more blue currency notes for the day.

On the sixth visit she glued the artificial crown to the root and a cap over it. I left for home after making, what should have been the final counting.

Everything went well and good for couple of months. Than the upper gum started swelling once again.  I had a re-course of  my  horrible past. I ran back to this lady doctor to report. To hide her scrupulous act of the past, she  punctured the wall of the gum and took out the puss. She prescribed the same set of high dose of antibiotics. In next three  visits I was completely cured, but once again ended-up paying a bulky fee. I led a happy life, but for just six more months. Once again my upper gum  swelled. I opted to consult some other doctor, as because, by now my wallet became thinner.

I went to another dental surgeon across the road on the way side,  half a kilo-meter  away from this posh nursing home. Though  he is a young doctor, but found him full of enthusiasm as because he is newly graduated. After the check-up he laughed at me. He called me to his consulting table and showed one proto-type tooth. He told my  rotten tooth was being ornamented, even when the root-canal was damaged long back. He said all it will take a couple of minutes. He injected anaesthesia and with a forceps  hooked-out the carcass.  This Muna Bhai B.D.S charged just Rs.50/-, that too  with a sense of hesitation.  I am leading a healthy life, ever since he sent me home placing the artificial denture in my hand.

It is not only my milkman, but every trade has got its own trick, to which I often become a scapegoat.

[ just an Advertising ]

Sai Dental Clinic, Opp. Fire Station, Khajur Tikra, NH-6, Bargarh, Orissa

Clinic Phone # 06646-329917 

[Dr.Santosh Ku. Tripathy, BDS while attending a patient]

[ Dr.Reema Tripathy, BDS ]

Post Script : THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ABOVE ARE PURELY PERSONAL AND BASED ON A TRUE EPISODE. IT IS  NOT WRITTEN WITH ANY SENSE OF ANIMOSITY TO TARGET UPON AN INDIVIDUAL, INSTITUTION OR THE NOBLE JOB OF DOCTORS

WhatsApp# +918249314972
kiranbima@gmail.com

E.Kiran Mohan (The writer)
Tehsil Chowk, Near SBI,
At\PO. BARPALI–768029,
Dist. Bargarh, Orissa, India