Anything To Declare? A Horror Story On Toothache

Many Canadians (and Americans likewise), have a pronounced anxiety when crossing the border. Rules could have changed and some times vehicles are searched. That all being true, I never had felt such anxiety. We have always been giving truthfull answers when asked about whether or not we had anything to declare. When the familiar question was asked while crossing into Lubec,ME yesterday, I had my answer ready.  I told the officer that I would leave something in the U.S. Of course, he wanted to know what that was and I said “MY TOOTH”. Yes, yesterday I left a tooth in the U.S. I was on the way to the Lubec Medical Center where a dentist lady from Louisiana would take out a tooth which almost brought me to insanity last Friday. The whole story had begun on Tuesday last week when I had felt that I had a hot/cold sensitivity on a tooth. So on Wednesday I checked in with the Lubec dentist and she confirmed an inflammation under the tooth. I received an antibiotic prescription and was released. I was still doing OK through Thursday, even though I still could feel the tooth aching a bit. But the story took a dramatic turn on Friday when pain shot up my gum and into the side of my head. I made many phone calls to dentists in the entire area, but none was available. Actually, the dental offices were either closed or the doctor not on site. When my pain increased further on Friday afternoon, I was writhing and rolling on the couch. I was crying and holding my head which felt like it would explode any moment. Watching me in horror, Bea got scared and asked what to do. Finally, she called 911.  Only minutes later, the local ambulance appeared on our lawn. It was decided that they would take me to the emergency room in St.Stephen. Arriving there an hour later I was checked in and sent to the waiting area. This could all have ended good if a doctor had seen me giving me a numb on my pain, but after 2.5hrs I had not been called up, and none of the other patients either. After Bea came into town to pick me up for a ride home (she had been on a tour with tourists) we had waited another 40 minutes when a nurse came out announcing that whoever was there to see a physician would need to wait another 4 hours. That’s when most people got up and left the ER. We went home as well and like a miracle, my pain subsided, probably because the antibiotics had finally killed the inflammation. Saturday ran up with me leaving my breakfast in the toilet…. the enormous amount of toxic painkillers had finally upset my stomach. But I was almost painfree. I was totally exhausted and for hours I rested on the couch drifting in and out of sleep. Sunday I was still painfree but I knew that tooth would have to go before it caused more trouble. The Lubec dentist has the weekend and Mondays off, so I had to wait until Tuesday to get it out. And when it finally happened it was all over within 30 minutes, anesthesia included. I am considering a trip to Mexico in October for getting a bridge over the gaping hole.         Flower pictures taken in Roosevelt Campobello International Park