The Chipped Tooth

In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. (Psalm 87:7 NIV)

            Forty-nine years ago, a silly mishap broke my front tooth. The ragged remains left me in tears and despair. In college away from home without my dentist, I felt lost and worried about my upcoming wedding with a broken tooth.

            I don’t remember the details, but someone got me in to see a dentist. A temporary fix kept me from hiding until I could get home to see my own dentist. He provided a perfectly colored crown that lasted for years and years.

            Since that time, I cringed at every cleaning when the crown was scraped and polished. I didn’t want it damaged.

            At my latest cleaning, the dentist noticed a rounded crack on my front crown. She grabbed her I-phone while her assistant pulled back my gums like she was examining a horse’s mouth. The pictures clearly showed a problem.

            I hated the thought of enduring the process of getting a new crown. However, that wasn’t even an option. My dentist was leaving the following day for a trip to the mountains to view the solar eclipse. She planned to return on Wednesday after I left on Tuesday for a trip to Indiana.

            The assistant came in with a device to make a mold of my tooth. After sitting with the gooey stuff in my mouth for three minutes, I couldn’t open my mouth. My teeth stuck like cement. She had to yank on it to pry it loose. I thought I would see my teeth like a set of dentures when it came from my mouth. Fortunately, my teeth stayed intact. At least the mold would help hurry the process when I had to get a new one.

            “Make sure you’re careful when you eat,” my dentist and her assistant both said.

            All the way home, I worried about the situation. Should I go on my trip and risk having it break off or cancel my trip and get it fixed as soon as she got back? I kept changing my mind.

            My cousin and his wife stopped by soon after I arrived home. Since he is a dentist, he looked at the damaged crown and said it could break while I was gone. But he told me to go on my trip.

            His wife said, “They do have dentists in Indiana.”

            Later that night, I continued to play the scenarios over and over in my mind. Finally, I put my worries aside and decided to make the trip.

            Being careful meant no delicious corn on the cob. Of course, I could cut the kernels and eat it. I could dice food into small pieces and not bite anything with my front teeth. With those precautions in mind, worry slipped away.

            Then I realized my concern wasn’t just for the possibility of pain or difficulty eating but embarrassment and pride at having a ragged tooth and looking ugly.  

            Of course, finding a dentist in an unfamiliar town who could help me might be difficult. When I remembered the numerous times God provided for me in the past, I had confidence He will continue to provide for my needs.

            I thought of people disfigured by many terrible situations. My problem was not as severe and could be fixed. Because of my cracked crown, God spoke to my heart.

Dear Lord, thank you for taking care of me in all sorts of situations. Help me remember what you have done in the past so I won’t worry about the future. Amen