When you read the title, did you think of a group of dentists forming a band or some kind of choir? Actually, this article is about a recent and painful situation where I wasn’t sure whom to call for help. It started a few months ago when a lower molar began to bother me. I knew I needed to have a dentist examine it, but I didn’t have a regular dentist at that time. Why? Because I had played musical dentists.
This a play on the game musical chairs where you are constantly changing chairs. Until recently, I had used a dentist for many, many years. That is until he retired. One of my friends suggested a dentist, so I started going to him for a while. That is until something happened with my friend and I decided to go somewhere else. One of my coworkers suggested her dentist. So, I used him and I was happy that I had found another good dentist. That is until he moved his practice to another county. So, I was without a dentist again. Of course, this was when my tooth began to hurt.
A couple of times, I had looked up dentists that were on Tim’s insurance. There were so many that it was kinda hard to choose which one I wanted to use. Also, during this time, I was so busy with things that I didn’t follow through on picking a dentist. That being said, my tooth didn’t constantly hurt so I forgot about it until it started to hurt again. Late in the afternoon of July 2nd, it came back with a vengeance. This time, the pain felt different. I knew that was a bad sign. By the time Tim came home, it was worse. He found some Anbesol gel to rub on my gum and I took some Tylenol. I was actually was able to get a little sleep.
The next morning, my jaw was swollen down into my neck. I knew I needed to get some antibiotics. Nothing could be done to my tooth while it was infected. Thankfully Tim was off work for the holiday weekend. He drove me to a place we thought was open. It wasn’t. I googled on my phone for a dentist whom took emergencies. I found one that was just minutes from where we were. When we got there, I felt relieved, unfortunately, that didn’t last long. I told the lady at the desk that I had gotten up to find that my tooth was abscessed. She immediately asked if I had an appointment. To be honest, I had the impression that she knew I didn’t. I told her I saw on their website that they handled emergencies. She answered: “We do, but you still have to have an appointment.” Then I was told they were booked that day and expected to leave at a certain time. That told me her main concern was leaving on time. When I pointed to my swollen jaw, she informed me that I could go to an urgent care or ER. Well, I didn’t bother them any further. I used a nurse practitioner on Tim’s insurance and they started me on antibiotics. By Saturday morning the swelling was not as drastic.
That Monday morning, I drove to the oral surgeon’s office that had pulled Tim’s tooth a few years ago. I remembered how great they were with him. They directed to me to a dentist. I mediately went the that office. Since I was on medication, they had me come back three days later. The dentist was so nice and gentle. My painful tooth not only had a cavity, but a small piece had broken off it. He recommended a root canal and then a crown. So, I went from that office to see the endodontist. I had the root canal a few days later. They were awesome. It was nice to feel that somebody cared about me and my teeth. By the way, it wasn’t that bad. Plus, it is so nice not to be in constant pain.
“A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottennous of the bones.” Proverbs 14:30 (KJV)
Sin can be compared to the cavity in my tooth. It took away the good part of my tooth and in doing so, caused me much pain and suffering. By the way, cavities don’t go away on their own.
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 (KJV)
By His death on the cross, Jesus took care of our cavity problem. When we accept Him, we are not only healed, but we can have a real peace.

What if some dentist had joined together to make music? Can you imagine some of their titles:
“Dentura Highway.” “Driller.” “Hit Me with Your Best Novocain.” “Just a Drillin’”
“You’ve Lost That Tooth Filling.” Last, but not least: “Achy Breaky Tooth!”
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.