"Please, Sir! Save My Tooth!"

I'm sorry, but your request is beyond reasonable. I’m a dentist, not God. I understand that you’re in extreme pain, but I have to be honest with you—your tooth is beyond saving now. If you had come earlier, I might have been able to do something. However, waiting until the last possible moment, when the pain became unbearable, has severely limited your treatment options.

At this stage, I have only two choices left. First, I need to examine your tooth clinically to determine its condition. Then, I’ll take a radiograph to assess whether a root canal treatment (RCT) is possible. Many patients only visit a dentist when they are left with no other choice and expect immediate relief. However, in 90% of such cases, saving the tooth is no longer an option.

If the infection or decay has progressed too far, an RCT won’t be effective. In such cases, the only possible solution is extraction. While I understand that losing a tooth isn’t ideal, removing it will eliminate the pain and prevent further complications.

One such case I faced today really tested my patience. As you all know, Ramadan is going on, and during this holy month, billions of Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Fasting sometimes makes people a bit cranky and irritable, which can be challenging, especially when you’re a dentist in a place where maintaining oral hygiene is already a struggle.

Now, I’m not saying that fasting should be used as an excuse for being short-tempered, but sometimes, you just can’t help it, especially when a patient starts getting on your nerves. Today was one of those days. A patient came in with a severely decayed tooth, clearly beyond saving, yet she kept insisting that she wanted me to save it. I explained to her that the condition of the tooth didn’t allow for a root canal or any other restorative treatment, and that the best course of action was extraction. But she refused to accept it and kept protesting.

These are the moments when I try my best to remain calm because I know that this is part of the profession I chose. Every day, we deal with patients who are difficult, anxious, or in denial about their oral health. It’s frustrating at times, but I remind myself that this is what I signed up for. Dentistry isn’t just about treating teeth. It’s also about handling patients, their emotions, and their expectations. No matter how much we try to educate people about the importance of oral health and early intervention, there will always be cases like this. It’s just part of the job, isn’t it? We learn to manage these situations, take a deep breath, and move on to the next patient.

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