On a cold winter night, I was lying in bed, thinking of creating something on a piece of paper. A few moments passed when suddenly I remembered something. Something that had once shaken me, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind.

I remembered the day I had an appointment with the dentist, which was a simple routine visit, but eventually turned into a tooth extraction incident.

Due to the appointment in the morning, I had to take a day off from school, while my sister was getting ready to go. It was probably the only day when I actually missed going to school.

I, along with my parents, reached the dental hospital quite early. After the initial registration and vital check-ups, we were asked to wait for our turn. I was holding my mother’s hand so tightly, just like many children who are scared of the dentist. I wonder if there is any child in the world who loves dentists!

When it was finally my turn, I wished I could disappear. But Mum smiled and comforted me. Surprisingly, the dentist greeted me with a pleasant smile. This cheerful gesture no doubt lessened my fear to quite an extent.

Then the dentist gently asked me to lie down comfortably on the patient’s chair under huge lights. He switched them on, put on his mask and gloves, and asked me to open my mouth. I was reluctant, but I had no choice, so I did as he began inspecting my teeth. After a thorough inspection, he told Mum that one of my teeth needed to be extracted immediately.

At that moment, I wanted to cry out loud and think of ways to run away from the situation. With tears in my eyes, I looked at Mum and Dad. My mum held my hand and my dad said, “Don’t worry, dear, we are here with you.”

Seeing me teary-eyed, the dentist said, “Oh, child, you’ll just feel a pinch and that’s it… and pinches are not scary, are they?” I nodded yes.

He couldn’t control his laughter. At that moment, he seemed no less than a cunning villain from a Hollywood movie.

There was no escape from the injection, and that too in the gum!

I couldn’t stop my tears, which were flowing out of fear of the presumed pain and agony caused by the thin needle. I was still thinking of ways to skip that tooth extraction, but it was not possible that day. I had to bear it somehow. My father consoled me that it would be all right.

The dentist picked up some metallic equipment. Then he injected something into my gum. It had an immediate effect. My gum went numb, and with several sparkling metallic instruments, he and his team began the procedure.

Finally, after 11 minutes and 36 seconds, it was all done. It was a great relief.

I realised that my mouth had swollen from the inside. The dentist advised me to eat ice cream. It was probably to stop the bleeding from the gum.

I felt happy with this prescription. My all-time favourite is mango ice cream, so I was eager to enjoy it. I would say that having ice cream was the only interesting part of this whole episode.

But I would also advise my friends and readers that if you are experiencing any tooth-related problems, never wait until you need a tooth extraction. Instead, always brush your teeth twice a day, and also after eating any sugary items.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 28th, 2026