Tuesday, I took Janet to the dentist for her regular six month checkup. The good news is that everything was fine – perfect, in fact. But I always worry about trips to the dentist. The truth be told, I have had terrible experiences with my teeth. I have had at least ten veneers, three root canals (all on the same tooth), two extractions with implants, at least 55 crowns and a an oral surgery when they drilled through my lower jaw to treat an infection from a failed root canal. I’m sure there are more things that I have momentarily forgotten, but you get the idea… I have bad teeth. In fact, 11 years ago this summer, I received my SECOND full set of crowns. The first set lasted 22 years and finally wore out.
All this started when I was a young boy. I was a grinder… and when Janet and I moved to Indiana back in 1982, I started to finally have trouble. I won’t bore you with all the details of being treated but we have been with the same practice for the past 43 years. It is owned by a couple who took over the practice in the early 1990’s and we have been blessed by our relationship with them. My childhood dentist was also a great gentleman and I credit him with my acceptance of the reality that I will always need dental attention for unusual stuff. I’m quite sure that Janet and I have spent more than $75K in my mouth.
I only say this because of the contrast that I witnessed earlier this week… As Janet was in for her regular appointment, I sat in the lobby and watched people come and go. It’s a busy practice and I couldn’t be happier for the owners – they have done a great job in serving the community with their dental practice.
Enter an older woman with her adult son, confined to a wheelchair chair, mentally challenged and clearly used to accepting less than stellar care in the “system.” His Mom was clearly stressed and it was her first visit to this practice. We engaged in polite conversation and she shared that she really couldn’t remember the last time they had been to a dentist. The last time they went to their regular dentist, the office was closed and empty. She shared that she and her son were on Medicaid and this was an emergency trip. Our dentist had agreed to treat her son.
There were the requisite papers to fill out and I could hear her asking her son questions about whether he flossed (he doesn’t, but he swishes with mouthwash). He said he did a better job than he could’ve done with floss. I kind of chuckled to myself… There were questions about trauma to the face or mouth – all answered in the negative. Then, the reason for the visit. He apparently started bleeding profusely from his left, lower jaw the night before. They had a very tough time stopping the bleeding. The son was clearly used to discomfort, maybe even pain, and my heart went out to him – his Mom as well.
But the capstone of the whole encounter was when he answered the question about what he would like to have. He said that all he wanted was “straight teeth.” His mom laughed one of those nervous laughs, the kind of laugh that meant that would probably never happen. After all, being on Medicaid, they only receive one dental visit a year and they had to check with the Medicaid office to see if they could even go to the dentist for this emergency. It was the dichotomy of the situation that struck me – stronger than any words I could use.
With all the issues I have had, we have been blessed with the ability pay for top drawer dental care. No, we don’t have dental insurance. I’m one of those cases where they are hesitant to even quote the coverage. So Janet and I have just paid each time I need some sort of work done… And here, sitting across from me is a young man and his aging mother, clearly tired beyond her years, trying to scrape together enough to even get to a dentist in an emergency. I’m quite sure that he was suffering in silence and Mom was making every call she could to find a practice that would treat him. I’ve never had more respect for anyone than I had this afternoon when they were welcomed to the practice Janet and I use.
Here we are in one of the most affluent suburbs anywhere in the country, where we don’t see this kind of thing every day – yet these folks were being taken care of a great practice, receiving the best dental care possible. I was proud of the owners. It was the right thing to do – and it was a graphic reminder of the how fortunate and blessed we are.
Our verse for tonight highlights the fact that Jesus is always reminding us to take care of the widows, children, marginalized and poor people. They are the heart of God. Moses, the author of Deuteronomy, tells us, in Deuteronomy 15:11, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.” My encouragement this evening is that God has given us a responsibility to take care of the poor among us. This is not a one time command – it is something that we are to do as ambassadors of Christ. My prayer is that we will all get reminders from time to time how blessed we really are. I sure received that message again on Tuesday. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…