I Ate the Ginger Snap--Paying the Price

By Cal Orey

The Cookie Incident

Today, was a challenging one. This morning I awoke to what was going to be a busy, productive day. On my agenda was to bake a batch of Pumpkin Pie Squares with crushed ginger snaps for a crunch--to be inserted in the book, 2nd edition of The Healing Powers of Olive Oil. In the morning, I grabbed a cookie and in a heartbeat--that first bittersweet bite was a sobering experience. Not only was the treat rock-hard, it felt like I either cracked or broke a filling in my upper right back molar. Emergency sighting!

Where's the Woe? Into the bathroom, and on went the light as I scrutinized the back tooth--one I've never had problems with since I the 20th century. It does have a historical filling. Back in the day, when I was young and ambitious, I was studying to be a dental assistant. But my sensitive nature didn't mesh with the patients' ordeals. As an intern on the job, one day I couldn't deal with a man coping with a difficult root canal. As an empath I cried. No laughing matter. The dentist ordered his chair side assistant to exterminate me--the wuss. And that was the end of my short career.

Back to the back molar of the day. I couldn't tell if the silver filling was cracked. Often the human eye cannot see a crevice, anyhow. So, I gave up my search. I flossed. I brushed. I flossed. I was on a mission to find the problem. Nothing. But the upper molar throbbed. A call to my dentist was next. At 4:00 P.M. I was scheduled to see the damage done from the cookie.

What If? And the day dragged on with "what if" even though I know most "what if's" never happen. I thought, "What if I cracked the tooth and it has to be extracted...I'll be hooked up to blood pressure monitors like the dying creature in that "E.T." film" or "What if I have to get a crown--or worse, a root canal and images of the grown man in pain haunted me." I had my what ifs all lined up in a row so by the time I arrived at the dentist office--I was ready for the grueling news. Bring it on. 

First, I showed my upper tooth to the nurturing dental assistant. Passed the test. She saw nothing but a molar. My gut instincts told me my tooth was most likely going to be saved. When the x-ray came back, I looked at it--all angels good. And the dental exam? The tooth lives!  I, of course, traumatized it even more with my studying the pain of it all. But that's not the end of the story...

No Tooth Fairy Needed. I did have my teeth cleaned about a month ago. I passed on the dental exam because all was good. Not so much. One dentist's look later: A leaky filling and a small cavity in two good teeth. Gosh, I haven't had a dental hole for years and years. So, on the upside--the ginger snap didn't get us (only temporarily, thank to a bruise, most likely). The downside: We're looking at a probable crown and a small filling. Booked for December before Christmas--my health gift to me.  So much for that trip to Europe. But hey, my Aussie pup will still be neutered (and his upper back molars will be scaled a bit to keep the tartar off and stay on top of doggie dental care) despite the untimely expense of my ginger snap day. For the record, I will be making my own chewy ginger snaps fit for people of all ages.

Motto: Do not eat dog biscuit-type store bought ginger snaps or you'll pay the price!

P.S. I did call the maker of the ginger snap. Strangely, the rep told me they do have a "dental policy" for hard cookie incidents, like this one. So, en route is a package for me to send them the culprit. The researchers will analyze the cookie "specimen". Then, I will be notified. I admit that I recommended that their recipe needs a re-do. And after doing a quick search on the Net, I discovered I am hardly alone. Others have eaten these ginger snaps with too much snap and speculate the recipe has been changed. I wish I hadn't eaten the one tough cookie. But I did.  (Day 2. The cookie tooth still throbs!)

UPDATE: Cookie company sent form to fill out about the tooth the cookie got...Will submit.