One tooth less

I take good care of my teeth. I brush after meals. I floss. I visit my dentist twice a year. He's a nice guy. I don't have insurance anymore so he charges me reasonably. He has only one fault. He's a sadist. He works on me two hours at a time. He has large hands. I call him Dr. Relentless. He doesn't understand why I complain. I don't know why I keep going to him except that he's been my dentist for twenty years and keeps my teeth in good shape. I wouldn't want him to read this but I know I'm safe. Although he owns a computer, he's never learned to use it.Last week I suffered through an hour and a half scaling and x-rays. Everything looked fine and I thought I was home free until he picked up the pictures of my lower left quadrant. He always says what he thinks:"Oh my God! This is terrible. You've got a bad cavity on the root of your last molar. I can't even get to it. I don't know if I can do this.""You're not inspiring confidence in me. I guess I'll have to get it pulled."No, no. We'll try. It's always good to try.""But it sounds impossible.""Maybe I can save it."He shoved the x-ray in my face. I didn't really need to see it. It was in a food pocket that I can't brush or floss. He jammed a probe into it he area and I elevated."Why did you do that?""I wanted you to see it was really there.""I believed you." Today I went back for what I knew would be an ordeal.His first words after taking a second x-ray to search for an abscessor nerve involvement:"If I can save this it will be a miracle."An hour and a half of drilling without let up.His nurse, Susan, who always arrives late, asked what he was doing to me."Damned if I know," he answered. I can't see in there.Ten minutes later, despite the anesthetic, I became intimately acquainted with my neurons--cell body, axon and dendrites."OK, I've exposed it. It's got to come out. You don't really need that tooth."He walked me over to the next door office of the oral surgeon, who could see me in forty minutes.The surgeon was a kind, gentle man who tried to prepare me for everything he did. I requested a local anesthetic because I don't like being put asleep if there is any other way. (I'm a control freak.) He looked surprised but said he would do whatever I wanted."It's a very difficult extraction. It's right up against another filling in the next tooth. And it's hollow from all the drilling you just had. It's probably going to crack. I've got to drill some more and also cut your gums. You'll need stitches.""I've just heard an hour and a half of difficult. Don't tell me difficult any more. Besides, I'm Dr. G's patient. I'm used to being tortured."The nurse, who knew my dentist, laughed. The surgeon didn't see the humor. It took an hour and a half when finally the last root was removed.He asked me how I was doing so often I finally told him to just do his job and I'll take care of me.As I left the office Dr. G's nurse stopped me. "Do you want to schedule your cleaning?""Susan, leave me alone!"