Today,

For the first time in forever,

I had a date,

Not that kind of date,

When you have chronic iron deficiency,

Any bleeding needs management,

And my gums have been bleeding,

So I had a date with the dentist…

I walk into his office,

Apart from the funny looking bed,

And the Doctor patient desk,

Everything else looks scary,

The kind scary things you tell children,

So they sleep without a sound,

Or brush their teeth clean,

Trauma…

I digress,

I am instructed,

To lie on this bed, that doesn’t look like a bed,

It reminds me of delivery rooms…

Open wide,

Aaaa,

Probing and looking and searching and poking,

Madam, you have calculus,

Say what?

Calculus,

Wait, that’s a thing?

Yes, you have calculus,

Doc, in my world, calculus is mathematics,

Oooo, he nods in amusement…

Then goes ahead to explain what calculus in dentistry is,

How again does that cause bleeding?

He explains again,

So whats the remedy,

We need to do a procedure called scaling

Say what again,

Scaling,

Doc, in my world, scaling has to do with drawings and dimensions,

Now he is lost,

So I explain,

My turn to feel smart,

And see the amusement on his face,

So explain to me what scaling is,

He tells…

Just wait a short while,

I will do the procedure,

It will take about 30 minutes.

I wait to be scaled…

After a waiting break,

I am back on the bed that reminds me of delivery rooms,

With a vacuum cleenerish machine whirring,

After a gruesome numbing, grinding experience,

You are done,

I cant even speak to him,

I get off, wave and leave,

Use a soft brush for a while,

Thumbs up, I manage,

I leave,

Feeling defiled,

My teeth had calculus,

They have been scaled…

I don’t look forward to future dates…