The year was 2022, one I would not forget quickly. I had been experiencing some pain in one of the remaining 28 teeth I had left in my mouth. I had visited the dentist some months earlier and the hole that was discovered in the tooth had been filled. Somewhere in my head, I didn’t know I would be going back to see the same dentist.

Going back I eventually did. This time around the recommendation was that the tooth would have to be removed. I was almost sure I asked the dentist at least twice if that was the only option. She replied in the affirmative. It was difficult for me to argue with a professional who had spent over 15 years working on just one organ of the body. The judgement was declared. The sentence was final. The tooth would have to be removed.

The extraction was a painful one. It was almost as if the pain I felt during the 5 minutes session was payment for my unconfessed sins. It was painful. Very painful. At that point I had to question why the tooth is not considered as one of the top 6 organs of the body. After the brain and the heart, it should be the tooth. Because tell me why I felt like I was about to die while the fair-skinned dentist was extracting my tooth. On another note, the pain must not have been that painful for me to have noticed how beautiful the dentist was. At one point during the extraction, I was 10 milliseconds away from grabbing the waist of the dentist but the remaining functional part of my brain sent me a message that the penalty for such an involuntary reaction could be fatal. And so I restrained myself from grabbing someone’s waist.

Finally the tooth came out. I almost hugged the dentist for doing a good job but I refrained when I remembered that my hugs are premium acts reserved for a very select few.

The dentist was about to throw the tooth away but I intervened. I demanded for custody of the organ that caused me that much pain and trauma (find the picture attached).

Truth be told, it was not actually the tooth’s fault that I ended up on the dentist’s chair. It was my fault. One would think that after removing 4 teeth, one would take the instructions given by the dentist on tooth care very seriously. Why do some of us like repeating class? Why? No, no, before you read on, please attempt to answer that rhetoric question. Why?

If only I had listened to the dentist’s instructions to brush my teeth before going to bed especially after eating dinner or to at least floss often….. If only…. I decided to keep the tooth as a remembrance of the pain that I went through one day in 2022.

Beyond keeping the tooth as a reminder of the need to take care of my body, I am daily being reminded of how little daily actions go a long way in ensuring our physical, mental and spiritual health. If I deem it necessary to have a shower every morning and sometimes in the evening, why do I neglect other little actions that are equally for my good especially when some of the actions will prevent me from making a visit to the dentist that I could regret? Why don’t I say positive words to myself daily? Why don’t I daily tell my son that he is indeed a blessing to us from God? Why don’t I give my wife a hug in the morning and bless her before she sets foot into the world? Why don’t I utter uplifting words upon the head of my husband as he sets out to fight the daily battles of life? Why don’t I brush my teeth every night before going to bed? Why would an organ that is less than 0.001% of the human body cause so much pain if left unattended to? Why? Now I’m left with a total number of teeth that God didn’t plan originally that Seun Akisanmi should have.

Consequently, I’ve been a little more intentional about life. I’m not there yet especially when you ask a few people that think they know me. But I’m trying. I think I am. I know I am. At least I have, at this very moment, a pack of dental floss beside my extracted tooth at the footstool of my bed to prove that I am trying. Because I would do anything – and I mean anything – to avoid another regrettable and preventable visit to the dentist.

#seunakisanmi
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