“Man I just can’t do it!” I am so frustrated I can’t help but blurt it out loud. I have been working on tooth extraction for a month now and I can’t seem to get the tooth pulled with out causing the patient to scream and come up out of the chair in pain. I’ve been working with Dr. Cannon for about three weeks now and he is trying to help but I just keep hurting my patients. Good thing my patients are getting it done for free. Becoming a dentist isn’t easy, a lot of free hours have to be logged, with a licenced dentist by your side of course.
“Take it easy Jordon, just relax and focus.” “All I do differently is have my patients with a twist.” His strong accent makes it hard to draw out the meaning of his words sometimes.
“You mean you give the tooth a twist when your pulling it.” I correct him.
“Sure.” He smiled at his patient in the chair. “You just have to get them to relax and put complete trust
in you. Then you have them with a twist.” He says it wrong again. But I just ignore it, I mean how many times can I correct his grammar before he gets annoyed with me and stops helping me work on tooth extractions? Besides I get what he is trying to say. At least I think I do anyway.
“Okay, so just get them to relax and trust me, then pull the tooth while giving It a little twist?” Can’t be that hard.
I go home for the evening and pull out my dental books and my lap top and study some more. The phone rings after I’ve been at it for about 3 hours. As I glance at the clock and see its 11:00pm I’m curious as to who would be calling at this time of night.
“Hello?”
“Meet me at my office in one hour, I know how to help you be more like me.” Dr. Cannon sounded a little excited. “You will never have problems with tooth extractions again!” No, he sounded A LOT excited!
An hour later I stand in Dr. Cannon’s office waiting on him to show me this fantastic trick he knows to make it all so easy for me.
“So Dr. Cannon, its kind of late don’t you think?” I’m very grateful but I’m ready to get on with it. “Its some small step I’ve been over looking isn’t it?” I just know its some trade secret that he knows.
“No Jordan, its as simple as I said. You just have to have your patients with a twist.” He replies with a very wide smile on his face.
“Okay, I know your English isn’t perfect but your using that sentence wrong. I think you mean to give their tooth a twist.” I’m a little frustrated and tired so It comes out a little snappy.
“Your wrong my friend. I ment what I said, “with a twist” and I will show you.” He opened the door to one of his exam rooms and there was a patient in the dental chair. He looked like he was asleep or in a coma, or something. “Relax its just sleeping gas, and he volunteered because his tooth was hurting so badly. Actually it was his idea. Poor man was hurting so bad I had to help him.” Dr. Cannon had a strange look in his eyes, as he stared at the patient.
“Hand me that lemon behind you on the counter.” He looked at me very seriously. “Now watch as I show you.” He shot me a quick glance out of the corner of his eyes as he turned toward the man in the chair. He took the lemon wedge and held it to the man’s neck and squeezed it till lemon juice ran down the patients neck. I am lost so far, I don’t see how that would help at all.
“Watch closely Jordon.” He leaned down to the patient in the chair. I thought at first that he was kissing his neck. Then I saw the tiniest little trickle of blood start to run down the shoulder. Fast as lightening Dr. Cannon, or who ever he really is, caught the blood with a napkin. No mess at all.
“I think I should leave, maybe you need some privacy. I’ll just go.” I tried to take a few steps back out of the room but when I turned to face the door, Dr. Cannon was between me and the door. “What the Hell are you!” “Let me out!” I was starting to panic now.
“My dear Jordan, relax he is not dead, nor is he seriously wounded.” “But he will remember nothing in the morning and I pulled out the tooth.” “He would have woke up from the sleeping gas with a lot of pain, but not now.” Dr. Cannon smiled very widely. “His tooth would have left a open cavity in the gums that would have to heal over time and be painful to him. Now it is completely healed already, thanks to my venom.” “You see it serves to purposes, his to get the tooth and the pain gone. Mine to sate my thirst for blood, and be a good, and well liked dentist.” He looked at me as if he really wanted me to understand and see his point. The scary part is I did.
“So, okay I get how you are so good at being a dentist and why they all love you, because they never feel any pain.” “But how does that help me?” The answer slaps me right in the face as soon as the question comes out of my mouth. “Your going to make me like you?” “That’s it isn’t it?” I am shaking so hard I have to sit down.
“Only if you want it Jordan.” He states matter of factly.
I swallow hard. Then like some crazy punch line, I get it. Laughing so hard I can barley speak, either from the irony or the fact that I’m scared out of my mind, I look up at my mentor. My blood sucking mentor.
“I get it, you have your patients with a twist! A lemon twist!” Laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. “I guess your English isn’t as bad as I thought.”
