The poor guy or gal has spent anywhere from 8-14 years in schooling and training, depending on where they want to specialize. Several more months are tied up in exams and licensing. All of this just to get a DDS or DMD. Now, nobody really wants to see them. We don’t jump up and down with joy, saying, “Oh, goodie! Today’s my 6 months check up!” In fact, many people will avoid the dentist until there is something serious going on needing addressed.
Who is this likable yet undesirable person? It’s your dentist and today is National Dentist’s Day, a day to reach out and say thank you for the work they do keeping everyone’s teeth and gums healthy.
Our reasons for avoiding the dentist vary. Some are just plain afraid. They have a phobia of someone poking around in their mouths, triggering the gag reflex, and causing pain. Others point to the cost of routine exams which invariably are going to turn up reasons for other visits to the tune of hundreds of dollars. There is the inconvenience of the time commitment needed for dental care. For some, it’s the horrors of past experiences.
Years ago, I had a molar that went bad and it needed extracted. The first dentist broke it and realized he was in over his head. I was sent to an oral surgeon in Wauseon. Now, I’m no tiny guy but in walks this guy looking like he was straight from the backwoods with a bushy beard and a burly build. All I could think was, “This is really going to hurt!”
The dentist was a very nice guy and was as gentle as he could be. He worked for an hour to
extract that molar. A couple of times, he used my chest for leverage. With beads of sweat drenching his forehead, he finally got the stubborn molar out. The roots of our teeth are supposed to be straight. Mine were curled like a hook, thus the problem. We were both glad to have that tooth successfully extracted!
Today’s celebration caused me to look in the Bible for teeth. What I found was kind of amusing. A good dentist would have done well in Bible days based on the verses you are about to read.
Psalms 3:7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Psalms 58:3, 6 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies…Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.
Proverbs 25:19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.
Lamentations 3:16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.
In our language, we might have said, “God busted them in the mouth!” They got “kicked in the teeth.” They look like a bunch of hockey players after a major brawl on the ice.
There are some romantic references to teeth in the Song of Solomon. Micah says that the false prophets in Israel bite with their teeth. And, if a servant got a tooth knocked out by his master, this was his ticket to freedom. Exodus 21:27 says, “And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.”
Amos 4:6 gave a reference that could hang in every dentist’s office. “And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities.” However, stopping at that phrase changes the context. This wasn’t a positive message about oral hygiene. The rest of the verse said, “and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.” Their teeth were clean because God had visited His people with famine and they were being chastened. If you don’t eat, you can’t get anything stuck between your teeth!
The Gospels record the worst references to teeth that we can’t even imagine. Before I share the verse, remember that today is about thanking your dentist and encouraging them for the good work they’ve done on your behalf. But, no dentist can fix this problem. Make sure that it’s not a dental issue you will ever have.
Matthew 13:41-42 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (42) And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Images are taken from https://pixabay.com/, https://www.pexels.com/, or https://unsplash.com/images or created in Windows Copilot. According to the websites, they are Royalty Free and free to be used for our purposes.
