Breathe in, Breathe out

My tooth is being pulled today.

So many lost teeth.

Breathe in.

6 years old

A brief tug from my grandpa.

A popsicle and

A quarter from the tooth fairy:

Reward replaced anxiety.

Breathe out.

14 years old

Four teeth pulled for braces:

Sitting in a reclining chair at a dental school.

Dental student sweated, grumbled, tugged.

Panic in his eyes.

Did he know what he was doing?

Breathe in.

20 years old

Four impacted wisdom teeth:

Chipped and chiseled and broken,

Pulled out piece by piece.

Sitting in a  dental chair with tubes in my mouth.

Family dentist sweated, needed a break.

I went home but. .. 

Still bleeding 3 days later.

Gums packed and re-packed.

Breathe out.

73 years old.

A tooth worn out and broken.

Memories of past extractions

Heighten anxieties,

Emotions tumbling out.

Tooth is worn out. . .I’m worn out.

Age and anxiety, chipping away at me piece by piece:

Tonsils, gall bladder, ovaries, appendix.

Soon a ninth tooth.

Breathe out.

Sitting in a dental chair,

Blood pressure is too high.

The oral surgeon comes in with a smile

Dismissing my concerns with 

“That was 50 years ago!”

“How about some laughing gas?”

I can use a smile, a laugh, a buzz.

“Take deep breaths.  

Breathe in. 

Breathe out.”

Reward replaces anxiety.