"Is there even any point in getting my braces fixed up?" I declared as I sat myself up in the chair and crossed my legs. "They've all been crap so far, what's to say the next one will impress. Let's just face it Sam, this is a waste of time."
Sam looked at me disapprovingly. "What might seem like a waste of time in your eyes is a good investment of time in mine Billy. We're killing two birds in one stone here."
I was confused by this remark. What else was Sam gaining from today? I look over at Adam in the corner of the room, who was sniggering under his breath whilst wiping down the surfaces of the counter.
"What do you mean? And why does Adam find that funny?" I gawked, feeling slightly annoyed that Adam found this situation humorous. "Adam I thought you were meant to be on my side."
"Of course I'm on your side Billy" Adam chuckled, walking over towards Sam and I. He leant against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "We're both on your side, but Sam sure has tricked you here" he smiled. "For the best", he added.
All I could do was look at them with a confused expression. They both looked smug. I wanted answers.
"Do you not realise Billy" Sam started, "even if I don't recruit a new member of the team today, I'm still building your tolerance towards dentistry. Notice how you didn't even put up a fuss for Alice? You're getting used to being in the chair! You're becoming more brave" he smiled.
I suppose this made sense, but surely this wasn't his plan all along. He genuinely was looking for a new dentist to hire at the practice. Surely he was just saying this now so the whole day didn't feel like a waste of time. Surely?
"I only sat nicely for Alice because she was kind to me".
"Adam and I are kind to you" Sam stated, looking moderately upset by my remark.
"I am well behaved when Adam looks at my teeth" I said, no expression on my face.
Sam looked even more upset now. "You've been good for me recently though" he said.
I sat myself up in the chair and turned around to face Sam. "I'm well behaved for you when you're gentle and kind Samuel" I answered, stating the obvious. "You used to be so forceful when looking at my teeth, but Adam has never been like that, he's always comforted me and gone at my own pace. Adam also doesn't get upset when I have a cavity unlike you do, because he realises it's just something that happens sometimes. The longer you continue to be a nice dentist, the longer I'll be a compliant patient, it's as simple as that. You know, most kids are probably scared to go to the dentist because of doctors who give them a bad experience. It's not hard to have some compassion towards people's rational fears."
There was silence for a moment. A sudden urge of proudness radiated over me... wow that speech felt good. That needed to come out.
'Clap, clap, clap'
I looked over to the side of the room to see Adam clapping me, smiling widely, in somewhat of a humorous state.
"That was powerful" he chuckled. "Well said."
I hesitantly looked over at Sam, worried about his response. He no longer looked upset, but he didn't look happy either. He looked from Adam, to me, then stood up from the chair and sighed.
"I've never purposely wanted to make your visits to the dentist uncomfortable Billy, that would be a silly thing to do. I suppose I'm just so passionate about my work that I go overboard sometimes, and I want to ensure your teeth are in perfect condition just like my own. You're right in saying those things about Adam, he genuinely is a brilliant person and dentist, and watching him carry out your procedures in such a calm and warming manner makes me happy to see you're in safe hands. I want you to always feel like you can trust me and I never want you to feel scared about me touching your teeth. Here, let me sit this chair up for a minute so you don't get back ache."
Sam raised the chair up and rolled his stool around so he was now sitting in front of me.
"I have a story to tell. Adam grab a seat, you can hear this too."
Adam grabbed a second rolling stool and parked it up adjacent to Sam's.
"Here Billy, let's swap seats. You've been in that chair for a while, you probably want a break from it" Adam smiled graciously.
"Thank you" I replied.
I hopped out of the dental chair and popped myself onto the stool, whilst Adam made himself comfortable in my former place. I could tell he had a feeling Sam's story would be a long one, so he made sure to make himself comfortable in the big chair.
"Okay" Sam began. "So this is something I've never shared with anyone before, but I think it's time to get it out in the open. Perhaps it'll give me some closure. But just to make it clear, this story is not an excuse for my forceful ways. There are no excuses."
I nodded my head and listened curiously as Sam began his story.
"This is something neither of you know, but Billy, our dad was a dentist."
I looked at Sam in disbelief. "How did I not know about this? And why did you never tell me?" I asked somewhat angrily. I knew very little about my parents. I was only young when they passed, so had very little memories of them. I never thought to ask questions either, it was too painful and I had grown accustomed to Sam being my caregiver.
"I think you must have known at some point Billy. Besides, he used to check your teeth when you were only little" Sam explained. "The reason I've never told you, is just because you never asked. And it never seemed like a relevant thing to discuss. Anyway, dad was always very pedantic over my oral health. I would have checkups way more often than needed and professional cleanings on a regular basis at his office. He never allowed me to have any sweets or fizzy drinks... or anything with artificial sugar for that matter. So whilst my friends would come to school with a lunchbox packed full of sugary treats and Nutella sandwiches, I would be stuck with vegetables and foods that were rich in calcium and fibre. My lunches were always boring compared to theirs. But I had been conditioned into being okay with that, for I had never been given the opportunity to try these sugary goods, so for me I wasn't missing out on anything. When I turned 12, I was finally allowed out on my own with my friends. Mum gave me £5 pocket money, and dad told me not to buy anything that I wasn't allowed... of course I knew what he meant by that. The first time we went out after school, my friends decided they wanted to buy some sweets and chocolate from the shop. Upon arriving, I decided not to buy anything, but my friends insisted that they would get me something. I was curious to try these new foods, so graciously accepted my friends' offer and asked them to buy me their favourite types of sweets. They returned a few minutes later with a packet of skittles. I had seen my friends eating these before and always thought they looked too weird to eat. The colours were alarmingly artificial, but the fruitful smell was enchanting. I ripped open the packet and picked out a green one, lime flavour, and popped it in my mouth. As soon as I began to chew, the sugar rushed through my body and the flavours caused me to salivate in a way I never had before. Without even thinking, I poured the whole packet of skittles into my mouth and chewed them viscously. I couldn't believe that I'd never been allowed to experience these delights before. Without hesitation, I walked into the shop and spent my whole £5 on sweets and chocolate. I bought a variety of different things then ran to the nearest park to try them all out. And that is where it all began."
"So you were basically young Willy Wonka" I laughed.
"I suppose" Sam chuckled, "just without the headgear... and the chocolate river."
"But he didn't create the chocolate river until he opened his factory" Adam added.
"Okay, we don't need the whole rundown of the movie" Sam grinned sarcastically.
"Continue your story Sam" I encouraged, invested in where this was going.
Sam nodded. "So, believe it or not, I developed a sugar addiction. Every day after school, I would walk to the closest store and buy a lot of sweets and chocolate. Eventually mum and dad were getting suspicious over how quickly my pocket money was going, I told them I was just going bowling with my friends each time. In the end, I started a small business in which I would do my fellow students homework for them, in return for some cash. I'd always been a bit of a brain box, so it was easy money that came in fast, and every penny of it was spent on sugar. About two months passed, and it was time for my fifth checkup of the year. Mum picked me up after school and dropped me off at dad's dental office, just like she usually did. She wasn't too fond of me visiting the dentist as often as I did, she believed the regular sixth-month visits were enough, but of course dad insisted it was good for me to get my teeth checked that often. I walked into the building and took a seat in the waiting area, something I was very used to. I never felt nervous when visiting the dentist because I knew there would never be anything wrong with my teeth and that dad was always pleased with me. But for some reason, it just didn't click that all those sweets were probably bad for my teeth. I was oblivious to the fact this dental appointment may be different than all the previous ones. After sitting in the waiting area for a while, dad walked out of a door wearing his blue scrubs. 'Samuel' he smiled delightfully, and pulled me into a warm hug. 'Hi dad' I smiled back, embracing the hug. I followed him through to his room and immediately took a seat in the dental chair, being an expert of the routine. He would always refer to me as his favourite patient, and that always made me feel special and make me smile. He liked it when I smiled, because he was proud of my teeth. Often it seemed like he treated my teeth as his own. After lowering me in the chair, positing the light and putting on his mask and gloves, he was ready to check my teeth. 'Okay Samuel, let's see those pearly whites' he said to me. Of course I opened my mouth really wide like the perfect patient I was and he began looking around my mouth. My appointments were usually over with very quickly, as I never had anything wrong, but this time was different. This time he stared in confused concentration and muttered things under his mask. For the first time ever in the dentist chair, I felt nervous. About ten minutes later, after a thorough examination, he pulled his tools out of my mouth and rolled over to the computer where he started typing. He did not say a word to me. 'Is everything okay dad?' I remember asking quietly. But he still said nothing. 'Daddy?' I said."
Sam was now looking down at his knees, looking ashamed. Adam and I both watched him intently, waiting for the story to continue.
"He walked back over to the chair and towered over me, looking down sternly. 'Samuel, have you been eating sweets?' he asked me, not raising his voice. 'Why do you think that?' I asked him, gulping. 'Because you have tooth decay, Samuel. And now you need three fillings. So I'll ask you one more time... have you been eating sweets?' I didn't want to lie to my father, he was a dentist so of course he knew I'd been eating sweets. I slowly nodded my head. And to that, a massive slap came hurtling down across my left cheek, the sound echoing off the walls. It left me stunned and my face ringing with pain. Tears began to trickle down my face, the warm feeling of them burning against my swollen skin. 'Now, I'm going to fill these cavities' dad started saying, 'and you're going to lay still and not make a fuss. Do you understand?' he asked. I nodded my head. 'SPEAK' he shouted down at me, causing me to shudder with fright. 'Yes dad' I muttered, before closing my eyes and opening my mouth really wide once again. I did not know what to expect next, because I had never had any procedures done before. But looking back now as an experienced dentist, I now see that he was trying to make it more painful than it needed to be, so I knew not to eat sweets and chocolate again. He didn't use any local anestesia so the pain from the drill was close to unbearable, but I didn't put up a fuss because I didn't want to upset dad further. I cried throughout the whole procedure. He was usually very gentle with my mouth and lips, but this time he tugged and pulled with his mirror like his life depended on it, but there was nothing I could do. After an hour of pain, I was finally done. Dad cleaned my mouth out then helped me out from the chair, stating as I got up 'and this is why we don't eat sweets'. My knees were shaking like jelly and the tears were still streaming down my face. We didn't talk to each other the whole car journey home. When we finally arrived through the front door of our house, mum greeted us both with a smile, yet looked disturbed when she saw my swollen, puffy cheek. 'What's wrong with Sam's face?' she asked my dad. 'Oh, Samuel hasn't been looking after his teeth properly, he's discovered sweeties. So he had to have three cavities filled. His cheek is just swollen from the procedure, it's nothing to worry about dear', he smiled, kissing my mum on the cheek. My mum believed his cover up, but still comforted me all evening, giving me an ice pack for my face and soft foods to munch on. I laid in her arms all evening, whilst dad acted like nothing had ever happened. I never ate sweets again after that point. It was too traumatic of an experience. Dad continued to monitor my oral health regularly, but he never called me his favourite patient again. In fact, he never seemed proud of my teeth ever again either. A few years later he paid for me to get braces, but thankfully dad wasn't trained in orthodontists, and instead I had a lovely lady sort out my braces for me. But yes, that's the story. The story as to why my teeth are now in perfect condition. Despite dad being harsh, he was an excellent dentist, so it's hard to tell I even have three fillings as they look just like my teeth. I think this is the reason I'm so overprotective about your teeth Billy. I get carried away when I'm in my element because I just want you to be healthy. I really struggled to trust dad as my dentist after that. I would always cry before going for appointments, but I never refused dad of looking in my mouth because I didn't want another traumatic experience. But I did play up for my orthodontist because I just didn't know what to expect. I would refuse to open my mouth for her and push her away, but thankfully she was always kind and patient, just like Adam. She helped restore my confidence."
Neither Adam or I knew what to say when Sam finished his story. He looked between us both, waiting for some words to fall out of our mouths.
"Wow, Sam. Thanks for opening up about this" Adam started. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. But just know, you're an amazing dentist and I really look up to you. You're the reason I am where I am now, I have you to thank for everything."
Sam smiled. "Thanks Adam".
I stood up from my stool and ran over to Sam, embracing him in a massive hug. He pulled me close and rested his chin on my shoulder. "I love you Sam" I whispered.
"Love you too, bud" he said back.
"So dad was a bit of an arse then?" I asked, stepping back and sitting back on my stool.
"Yes and no" Sam answered. "I loved him with all my heart, he really was a wonderful man and I miss him every day. His life just revolved around dentistry is all, and he couldn't bear to think of me going against what he believed in. And in reality, it was me who was in the wrong, I shouldn't of eaten all those sweets."
"But that's still no reason to treat you the way he did" Adam interjected.
"Yes, I suppose you're right" Sam returned. "But it's in the past now, it's just slightly traumatic for me. I don't want anyone to ever be treated like that."
We sat in silence for a few minutes, all looking down at the floor, reflecting on what had been said.
Sam was the first one to break the silence. "Alright then, I suppose we better get your braces fixed up then Billy."