I’d been going to my dentist for years. I’m not exactly sure when I started going to this dentist, but my best guess is since my college years. I’m in my thirties now, so that means I’ve been going to this dentist for a good part of a decade plus. I know that my mom was referred to this dentist originally. Let’s call him Dr. Comfort for the purpose of this story. So my mom looked up Dr. Comfort in the phone book (remember those?!) when she needed to have some work done by a specialist, but needed a general dentist to see her before the specialist could do what he needed to do.
I doubt that I started going to Dr. Comfort out of my dedication to dental hygiene. Like many of us, I imagine I was only driven to the dentist’s chair when I started feeling pain. Toothaches can make grown men cry, so I was likely in urgent need of help when my mom suggested the dentist that she had seen before: Dr. Comfort. Again, I’m assuming this is how it all happened because I really don’t remember the details. It was all pretty routine, pretty unspectacular. I probably had a deep cavity, most likely a result of my love of chocolate, honey, and all things sweet. I’m not sure if I needed a root canal at the time or later (I’ve had more than one), but whatever the treatment was, Dr. Comfort saw to it. And then I went on with eating, drinking and gum chewing until six months later when I had my routine check in. The good thing about that experience was that I started seeing Dr. Comfort every six months. Most responsible grown ups go see the dentist routinely, so if you’re not, and you like your own teeth, it’s time to starting “adulting” and see to it.
The Routine of It All
The key thing about Dr. Comfort was the routine of it all. Every six months, I’d go in, and first the dental hygienist cleaned my teeth, flossed my teeth, and brushed my teeth with that chalky toothpaste. She would sometimes ask me questions while my mouth was gaping open, which would leave me a little confused. Then she would make note that my gums were bleeding, and she’d suggest that I start flossing regularly. I’d say that I would. Then Dr. Comfort would swoop in, make a few polite greetings, and proceed to look at my teeth with that little mirror on a stick and that poker thing. While Dr. Comfort was poking around in my mouth, the dental hygienist would comment that she instructed me to start flossing to prevent bleeding gums and would give me samples of the special toothpaste for gum bleeders. Ok. Fine. Dr. Comfort would most often say, “Everything looks good. See you in six months.”
There were a few times where Dr. Comfort did notice a cavity, and I’d have to come back for a filling. Or he’d need to replace an old filling from my pre Dr. Comfort dental work. At one point, I needed a root canal. He referred me to the Endodontist he refers all his patients to.
But as I mentioned, all in all, pretty routine dental stuff.
When I moved into my apartment that was 30 miles away and closer to my job, I had intended to change dentists. Dr. Comfort’s office manager even told me to let them know what dentist I landed on in the area, and they would send the new office my dental x-rays. But instead of finding a new dentist, I just started scheduling my appointments with Dr. Comfort early on Mondays so that I could spend Sunday night with my parents and go the dentist on Monday morning before driving into to work.
Again, it was all very routine.
In fact I remember thinking at one point, “I guess I’ll go to Dr. Comfort forever.” Also, the thought came to my mind once, “What would it take for me to change dentists? Should I?” My mind works like that sometimes. I didn’t answer my own internal questions.
The Change in the Routine
Well, the routine of it all changed one early summer night in 2021 when I was awakened from my sleep with a toothache. I hadn’t had any tooth pain in forever, so I was pretty shocked, especially since I had been faithfully going to the dentist every six months. I applied some Orajel and the pain was quieted for a time, but then the pain came back. I had missed my regularly scheduled appointment in the fall of 2020 due to the global pandemic. So when I went in to see Dr. Comfort in early summer of 2021, I hadn’t been to the dentist in a year. As Dr. Comfort examined the tooth, he mentioned something about an open margin, (by the way, I’ve become a dental expert throughout this ordeal with all the Googling I did) said it needed a crown, and had his office clear it with my insurance. I came in for the crown. Drill. Drill. Drill. The dental assistant put on a temporary crown until the real one would come in two weeks.
All somewhat routine I guess.
Except it wasn’t. My tooth hurt. Then it wouldn’t hurt. And my gums looked really bruised up. I came back into Dr. Comfort’s office and one of the dental assistants took a look. To her, my gums looked normal for just having a dental procedure. So I left. But everything still didn’t feel right. I looked at the bill from Dr. Comfort’s office and made note of the tooth number. I wasn’t sure why I did that, but it would come in handy. I knew some soreness was to be expected, but I just couldn’t shake that something was up.
So I did something I had never thought to do. I got a second opinion.
I pass a particular dentist’s office every day in my commute, so I called them, explained the situation and they were very understanding and agreed to see me. When I arrived, they were so compassionate. The dentist that saw me was a young dentist. Let’s call him Dr. Light. He was very kind and took his time to get the whole story. Dr. Light asked the dental assistant to take x-rays of my mouth and then he put them on a back lit screen that was right in front of me. I could see everything he saw. The x-rays at Dr. Comfort’s office were only visible on a little computer on the side of the patient chair. And now that I think about it, Dr. Comfort’s office only ever took x-rays of one side of my mouth. I remember thinking to myself at one point, “Don’t you need to see the teeth on the other side of my mouth too?”
Anyway, Dr. Light could see from the x-ray and from his examination that the temporary crown was not placed on the tooth properly. A space was exposed that could allow food and bacteria to seep in. And he thought that I may need a root canal, but suggested that I go back to Dr. Comfort’s office and have them put on a new temporary crown at the very least. I was so impressed with Dr. Light. He took his time to explain everything. He was a very good communicator.
So I did go back to Dr. Comfort and expressed that I was still experiencing pain. I didn’t mention that I visited another dentist for a second opinion, but I did say I had concerns about the temporary crown. Dr. Comfort instructed the dental assistant to take an x-ray of the tooth. Remember how I said I made note of the tooth number on the bill? Well, the dental assistant x-rayed the wrong tooth! Despite my joke about being a dental expert, (trust me: I know I’m not one) I did manage to learn the tooth number of my problem tooth, and the x-ray we were looking at was definitely of the wrong tooth. Of course, Dr. Comfort knew this, but chose not to have the assistant take an x-ray of the correct tooth. Given my symptoms, his course of action was to refer me to an Endodontist to determine if I needed a root canal. After he left, I did ask the assistant if she could try the x-ray again, but Dr. Comfort put a stop to that. I’ll just say that the whole interchange between Dr. Comfort and myself was a bit uncomfortable.
I left the office thinking, well, this may be what it takes to for me to change dentists. The contrast to the experience I’d had with Dr. Light was very apparent.
The Root Canal
Well, the Endodontist did end up recommending a root canal for that tooth. And there were more complications after that. While I was getting the numbing shots before the procedure, which I usually take like a champ, I think the Endodontist hit the nerve wrong or too forcefully on the last shot because it really hurt. I just sort of moaned internally. Well, the root canal was completed. This wasn’t my first one. In fact I’d had one from this very specialist recently. And why all the root canals when I’ve been pretty good about my dental hygiene? At that point, I was just hopeful the pain would be gone now that nerves were no longer there. But was that the end of the discomfort? No. Something still wasn’t right. I know because as I mentioned, I’d had a root canal not long ago, and it did not feel like this afterwards. So back to the Endodontist I went.
Diagnosis: infection. Treatment: Penicillin and ibuprofen
Meanwhile, the lab that Dr. Comfort used was making my permanent crown, but any infection would need to be cleared up before Dr. Comfort’s office could put on the new crown.
Well, after the full course of antibiotics, everything still felt off. Sometimes painful. Sometimes tingly. Then the tingling spread to different areas of my mouth. I called the Endondontist’s office to explain, but I never heard back.
The Return
So I went back to Dr. Light! Again, his office fit me in on short notice. Once again, I explained everything that transpired…root canal, supposed infection, tingling etc. And once again, Dr. Light and everyone at the office was compassionate, understanding and knowledgeable. They took an x-ray of the tooth (the correct tooth!) and after Dr. Light examined it, he explained that the root canal looked like it was done properly. He didn’t see any signs of infection. He said my symptoms were likely due to my nerve being disturbed during the procedure, which can happen. We reviewed what an infection would have looked like, and I had no such signs. So other than taking an unnecessary course of antibiotics (it’s not like we have a crisis due to over using antibiotics or anything like that, right?!), no harm was done. The tingling and discomfort would likely subside in the coming weeks after the major nerve in that area had time to adjust.
Wow. Dr. Light’s clear explanation brought knowledge and peace of mind. I expressed my gratitude for all Dr. Light’s help and told him I’d be coming to see him from now on. Before he left, he asked me if anyone had ever mentioned teeth grinding with me.
“No, never.” I responded. Dr. Light said that we’d discuss it in my first official new patient visit with him. Ok. Interesting.
So once the permanent crown came in, I went to Dr. Comfort’s office so they could replace the temporary one. As I walked into the office, I thought to myself, “Well, now I know what it takes for me to change dentists. This will be my last visit.” Everything seemed to go well. The dental assistant did all the fitting and adjusting for the permanent crown. Dr. Comfort did his final check. I said goodbye.
“Goodbye, Dr. Comfort.”
The story is not over yet, but it’s almost over.
So after the permanent crown was on, something still didn’t feel right. This time, I went straight to….you guessed it, Dr. Light. And once again, the office fit me in on short notice, compassion, knowledge etc. Upon his observation, my gums were very inflamed and there was a piece of cement stuck in between my teeth left over from the dental assistant at Dr. Comfort’s office. He and the dental assistant removed it and prescribed me with anti-inflammatory meds.
Now, the tingling did persist for a while. It’s not that I didn’t trust Dr. Light, but I did do something I’d not done before.
I got a third opinion.
I did a virtual visit with another dentist. She agreed with Dr. Light’s diagnosis, but she actually gave me the official name for what I was experiencing and sent me some literature to read about. She confirmed that everything would likely clear up in the coming weeks. But she did prescribe me some special mouthwash to use to ease any concerns about an infection.
I’m happy to say that the tingling and weirdness did go away.
Fast forward to my first official visit with Dr. Light as a new patient. They took extensive x-rays and photos of all my teeth. They used all these special instruments that I’d never seen at Dr. Comfort’s office like a 360 degrees x-ray machine. And finally, Dr. Light was able to discuss his observation from my previous visits.
Teeth Grinding
I had been grinding my teeth during sleep. And of course, now that I thought about, there would be occasions where’d I wake up in the middle of the night, and feel my teeth clinching together. I’d loosen my jaw and go back to sleep. Apparently I’d been grinding my teeth for quite some time because I had just about worn away all the enamel on the teeth on the right side of mouth. Dr. Light showed me the pictures, and I could see the yellowish tent, which he explained was the dentin underneath the enamel.
Wow. So all this time, I’d been going to the dentist’s office and Dr. Comfort never noticed or mentioned that my enamel was wearing away. I was admittedly a little perturbed, but my disappointment in Dr. Comfort was very quickly replaced by gratitude. Gratitude for the open margin that caused the pain that led to the crown, then root canal, then infection scare that all led me Dr. Light. Because if not for all that, by the time I’m writing this blog, I would have likely ground through all the enamel on my teeth. Seriously.
Dr. Light wanted me to get a mouth guard, but when I told them that I wore a retainer on my top teeth (I used to have braces and have been wearing the retainer I got in high school faithfully every night.), he suggested a special mouth piece that would keep my teeth in place and take care of the grinding as well. Due to insurance, I had to wait until the new year to get fitted for these new dental miracles. In the meantime, I started wearing a mouth guard I ordered off of Amazon. It’s the kind of mouth guard for teeth grinding, not hockey. Finally, when my special retainers arrived weeks later, I was elated to learn that they are just like Invisaligns. You could hardly see them.
You see, I had always wondered if I’d have to wear that dorky retainer forever. Again, this is how my mind works. I would never answer the question. I’d actually thought about seeing an orthodontist to discuss my options, but I never made an appointment. So it took a whole dental ordeal, but I ended up with a much better option for my teeth: invisible retainers and an amazing new dentist.
Dental Insights
Dr. Comfort represents a place that many of us love to reside. The Comfort Zone. The Comfort Zone can be a job we’re in, a ministry we’re in, a relationship we’re in, or a pattern of thinking we’ve become accustomed to. Now, The Comfort Zone has its benefits. It’s predictable, manageable, and therefore, it does not usually cause a lot of anxiety or stress. For a personality like mine who tends to be anxious about any change and anything unknown, The Comfort Zone represents more than just comfort. It’s becomes a place of security and safety.
But what if something is wrong with the comfort? What if there’s an issue lurking underneath all the familiarity that we haven’t recognized? What if there’s a practice, a belief, a deception, that’s hindering our life, but we can’t recognize it. Like the frog in the pot, we don’t sense were in danger because we’re too busy enjoying the warming, Jacuzzi-like water to realize this water will soon be the means of our demise! We may even get clues along the way that something may be wrong, but we dismiss those warning signs because taking them seriously may lead to, “gulp”: Discomfort. Change.
That’s why The Comfort Zone can actually be dangerous.
We need something to jolt us out of comfort. And by the grace of God, He allows discomforting, sometimes even painful circumstances in our lives to get our attention. He uses them to drive us out of the status quo to help us see what we would not otherwise be capable of seeing. He’s Dr. Light. Patient. Compassionate. Knowledgeable. Thorough.
Dr. Comfort may tell you what you want to hear, but he could be missing a few things. Dr. Light will tell you what you need to hear.
The Comfort Zone we’re in could be just fine. Or we could be grinding our teeth away. The only way you and I are going to know is if we seek out a second opinion.
And that second opinion comes from The Light, which is threefold:
- The Light of God’s word (Psalm 119:105)
- Jesus Christ, the One who is the Light (John 8:12)
- The counsel of the body of Christ, those who’s purpose is to reflect the Light (Matthew 5:14)
We all need the objective lens of the Light of life to show us the way. Otherwise, we’ll make a comfort zone out of own opinions and inclinations. We’ll tell ourselves what we want to hear, what makes us comfortable, and we’ll seek out others who reinforce that comfort. The verse about itching ears seems to ring true. But the light of truth is able to take an x-ray and give us the correct course of treatment every time.
“I will lead the blind in a way that they do know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” - Isaiah 42:16
The Challenge
What’s comfortable, familiar, and routine may not always be what’s best. The only way we’ll know is to seek another opinion.
Let us do some reflection. Let’s learn to recognize what’s comfortable to us. Compare our situation to God’s word and to the example that Christ has set in His life. Ask others we trust to speak wise counsel. Let’s get a second opinion.
Don’t get stuck in inaction like I did. But even if we do, God’s able to order our circumstances in a way that masterfully, hopefully not painfully, jolts us into action and shines a light on all darkness. But if pain is required, we can know that God is sovereign and has allowed it. And if we listen to Him, we’ll always be better for it. We may even end up with fancy Invisaligns in the end.
If you ever need any recommendations of a dental nature, I know a great dentist.
If you need help getting unstuck in the comfort zones of life, check out the recommended resources.
Recommended Resources:
Nicole Parker’s Teaching Series: