Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Never Any Falsifying About Tooth Pain

Toothaches are no fun.

While we’ve had very little pain in our six decades, the most severe throbbing ever was an infected tooth.

Our discomfort threshold isn’t as high as many, and for a cowboy to complain of a simple tooth hurting seems unnecessary. Yet, we did and still remember that day.

Although excruciating as it seemed, relief was instantaneous when gum pressure was released. However, that experience makes us sympathize with anybody who has a sore tooth.

Dentist chairs certainly aren’t our favorite place to be, and we haven’t been there much. However,  our first teeth were bad as revealed by the black in our mouth when we grinned for our lower-grade photographs.

When they disappeared during the normal children’s teething-process, those we have now came in strong, yellow, and crooked. A tooth-straightener attempted to correct part of the problem, but didn’t do a very good job.

Despite a couple fronts being counterfeit after a horse reared over backwards, and knocked the originals out, we use mostly our own choppers at mealtime.

Last week, we waited “patiently” in the lobby of our brother-in-law’s dental office as he worked all day on our wife, the ranch “boss.” Obviously, she doesn’t like those chairs any more than we do because it was accumulation from many years of need that took so long. Several more sessions are on the calendar.

Good news is that what’s left of the God-given will be enough, so artificial sets aren’t required. Our dad, grandparents, aunt and father-in-law had falsies, and they weren’t a good deal, but far better than none.

This all brought back a clear reminder of our first acquaintance with the “boss.” Meeting her on just the fourth day at that college, we didn’t remember her full name, but thought the country-girl deserved a follow-up. When we called to get together, the refusal justification was “dental appointment for a toothache.”

That sounded like a slipshod excuse, but being a naïve cowboy, we accepted it with optimism, when she said to call back. We did, she said yes, and, 42 years later, we always believe her when she says her tooth hurts.

Reminds us of Exodus 3:7: “I know all about their pain.” Most importantly Isaiah 7:9: “If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.”

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