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1he Man w|th a Dr|||

8y LllzabeLh uddu

No one enjoys trips to the doctors, especially not the dentist. Many envision horrible
scenes Irom movies oI a crazy man tying a patient down, prying their mouth open with
ridiculous concoctions, while pulling, tugging, and drilling at their teeth. Others simply have had
bad experiences. Sure there`s that time period while you`re sitting in the waiting room anxiously
anticipating your name to be called. Every time the receptionist looks up, you slowly rise up
Irom your chair as iI you are next, only to realize you have to wait patiently just a little while
longer. Even once you are taken to the dental room, your heart continues to race. Pictures hang
on the walls oI rotten teeth and decaying gums. Your eyes are Iixated on the sharp, silver, metal
instruments, most noticeably the drill. Everyone hates the drill and squirms at the thought that it
might Iind its way into their mouth. Sitting in the chair with the bright light pounding on you
Irom above, you break into a nervous sweat as your worse Iears run thru your mind. Finally the
doctor walks in and with a smile says, 'Open wide.
Frankly, opening wide never gave me a problem. I have nothing to hide inside my
mouth. I always brush my teeth at least twice a day and rinse with Scope, so why be aIraid iI he
wants to take a look inside? OI course, I could cut back on the sweets, but what person couldn`t.
I`m sure iI someone took the time to ask the dentist what all he eats in a day he`d have some
candies thrown into his diet. The dentist is simply misunderstood. He is only human. Like
many others, he is only doing his job.
Thinking back, I suppose I was the only IiIth grader not aIraid oI the dentist. Once a year
in middle school, a dentist would come in to the nurse`s oIIice. Each section would be called
down one by one and have their students stand in alphabetical order. While in line, some kids`


legs would twitch, some would twiddle their Iingers, and others would talk about their nerves. I
didn`t understand what all the Iuss was about. The doctor would simply have the student come
in, sit down, and open their mouth as he`d tap on each oI their teeth and then recite to his
assistant a numerical code that she would record in our dental Iiles. We had it easy, the dentist
was the one doing all the work.
At such an early age, I Iound that mostly everyone was uncomIortable whenever 'the
dentist was brought up in conversation. I know it`s kind oI odd when people says they like the
dentist, but I don`t think I mentioned that his oIIice is only in my basement and that he, the
dentist, is my Iather.
When my brother and I were still young and played pretend, we would go down into my
basement when my Iather wasn`t working. Let me mention, this man rarely ever took a day oII.
We would rotate between the role oI doctor and the patient. One oI us would climb up into the
big chair while the other would push the recline button and hold the mirror to peek into our small
mouths. My dad would come down and turn the water on so that we could Iill up our cups with
water. OI course, as little kids we were amused to gargle and spit as iI we had just gotten a real
cleaning. Once we were Iinished, my brother and I headed straight Ior the receptionist desk.
Right behind it, below the desk was a treasure chest Iull oI toys. We always rewarded one
another Ior being such brave patients by picking one or two, sometimes even three, little gadgets.
As the years passed, I realized it`s not all Iun and games. Dentistry is not easy
constantly working, constantly busy, never any Iree time, always helping others, the phone never
stops ringing. In the middle oI the night, I can remember awakening to an obnoxious phone call.
Patients who were in severe pain would desperately look up our number in the phonebook and
call in dire need oI assistance. My Iather, the caring person that he is, would roll out oI bed aIter


waking up at 5 a.m. the previous morning and working until 9 p.m. that night and tend to them.
In my experience, I`ve come to Iind it`s never easy when you have to do dental surgery on your
Iamily members, especially your own child.
My major run in with the dentist occurred when I was thirteen. Seriously involved in
soItball, I had a tournament almost every weekend during that summer. My position was short
stop, although I was the ideal height oI a Iirst basemen. A line drive was hit towards the third
base line and my instincts Iorced me to dive and catch it. UnIortunately my instincts didn`t stop
me Irom slightly over judging the ball and it came to a halt when it collided with the side oI my
Iace. The taste oI blood Iilled my mouth and sure enough when I stood up and spit, my saliva
was red; I also came to Iind a chunk oI my cheek. To my advantage, I had a dentist on call. My
mother speeded us home and my dad awaited us in the basement. BeIore I knew it he had my
mouth stitched up and I was back in time Ior my next game.
That summer day taught me a load oI things. First oII, let the third basemen go aIter a
ball by their base line and, second oII, wear a mouth guard to prevent incidents Irom happening.
The second lesson was more like a rule my dad made me Iollow. But, even more so aIter that
day, I had a greater appreciation Ior my Iather`s proIession.
The title Doctor ran through my mind. The word itselI just sounded so prestigious. I had
to become one. I needed to know everything about the medical Iield and how I could someday
be a part oI it. Understanding oI my new proIound goal, my Iather helped guide me in the right
direction; he always said you can never get too early oI a start. He suggested my course
selection throughout high school, which included every science Irom general biology to
advanced chemistry. When the decision Ior college rolled around, he recommended that I major
in biology so that I would have a wide array oI Iields to choose Irom when I Iigured out which


particular one I would call my own. Not only did I choose the same major as him, I also chose
the college oI his choice. My Iather only ever made the wisest oI decisions so it seemed only
natural to Iollow in his Iootsteps.
This past summer I shadowed my Iather; I even assisted him while working on my
mother. We were to perIorm a standard cleaning as well as replace one oI her crowns. As she
sat underneath the bright light, I handed my Iather the tools as needed and held the suction
around the tooth he was drilling. I must say, while I didn`t have the opportunity to do anything
noteworthy, I learned a lot; it was a promising experience.
I know I still get nervous when I have a doctor`s appointment, regardless oI what type.
No one looks Iorward to hearing what the doctor has to say, they simply want to get in and get
out. Realistically though, it isn`t always so simple; things happen.
Someday another person will be in need oI my care. They`ll be sitting in the waiting
room anxiously waiting their turn. Once they are Iinally in my room, they`ll see on the wall my
diploma Irom The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor oI Science in Biology. I hope
it will ease their nerves and make them Ieel hopeIul that I will live up to my job, Ior my passion,
in helping others.