TLDR: Don’t wait until a problem gets out of hand before trying to tackle it – deal with it now. And make sure to get to the root of it so that it does not arise again.

For those who haven’t heard of root canal treatment, it is a procedure done by a dentist to, in layman’s terms, dig out the decayed nerves of a sick tooth to try to save the tooth and avoid having to extract it.

Requiring a root canal indicates that there has been pretty serious decay going on for an extended period.

The day I started writing this little essay, it had been one-and-a-half months since I had my first root canal done by a specialist. 

For the past few years, I’d had a nagging ache in my tooth that came and went, but it had never been intense enough to push me to seek a once-and-for-all treatment. 

Simply Put, I Ignored It 

The day finally came when I could no longer bear it. The toothache worsened over 3-4 days and reached its peak while I was on the MRT after a long day of classes. 

My cheek had swollen up, and I could not bite on anything without feeling pain – 10 out of 10 on the pain scale. I decided then and there that I was going to seek treatment once and for all. 

After a few WhatsApp messages and Google searches, I was able to schedule an appointment with a dentist a few days later. 

The dentist confirmed that there was a gum infection going on and, yes, I needed a referral to a root canal specialist (an endodontist) quickly as there was a substantial area of decay within the tooth. 

Theory Meets Reality

On the day of the procedure, I went to the endodontist’s clinic, signed the relevant forms and consented to the treatment, not knowing what to expect. 

The endodontist injected some painkillers into my gums, and soon my mouth felt numb, a sign that the procedure could begin. 

Despite the painkillers, I was in the worst pain of my life for nearly two hours. The endodontist had to remove the decayed inner parts of the affected tooth – so no amount of painkillers would completely mask the pain.

In order to be free of the pain from having that decaying tooth, I had no choice but to bear with the intense agony of the procedure.  Inside, I begged desperately for the pain to go away – but it only got worse as the procedure progressed.

I was grabbing onto my wrist and pants as hard as I could to try to distract myself from the pain. I could feel my entire body tense up. I felt like my mind was like a lost child desperately looking for his mom in a crowd of strangers.

While lying on the chair inside the ice-cold treatment room, with no one beside me (apart from the dentist and the dental assistant), I was left to fend for myself. I felt lonely. 

Pain as Teacher

Even though the dentist had already tried everything to make me as comfortable as possible, the nature of the procedure was such that it could never be completely so.

First came direct recognition of bodily dukkha (physical suffering) while in the treatment room as a parallel to the unsatisfactory characteristic of saṃsāra, in which suffering beings are trapped. 

I’d tried my best to be a good patient by not interrupting the session, but many times I was not able to bear it, and the dentist had to top up extra doses of painkillers. I was on edge for the entire two hours. 

Finally, the dentist informed me that the session was complete. Waves of relief washed over me. Thankfully, that was the worst part of the procedure, and the subsequent session two weeks later was nowhere near as distressing.

Three Notable Realisations

I had three notable realisations during the procedure. 

The first was that the entire encounter might have been a teaser as to what would happen to me on my deathbed – being in intense pain and having no one to turn to other than my own mind. 

The second was that despite all the suttas I’ve read, pujas I’ve attended, Dhamma talks and courses I’ve experienced, meditation sessions I’ve done, and Dhamma books I’ve read,  I was unable to bear the pain with mindfulness and clear awareness.

I had a long way to go before I could fully understand the Buddha’s final instruction to his disciples and devotees:

“Vayadhammā saṅkhārā. Appamādena sampādethā”

(“Conditions fall apart. Persist with diligence”)

(DN 16)

The third notable realisation was that even though practising the Dhamma may sometimes paradoxically feel like dukkha, this is the kind of dukkha that I have to dive right through (i.e. face head-on). It had to be done. 

The bitter medicine is the one that is effective, just as I had to face the pain of the root canal head-on before I could be free from the suffering of the toothache. 

Three lessons I took away:

I had ample time with my own raw mind while on the treatment chair. I noticed how my mind reacted to bodily pain – fear and heavy, noisy chatter – despite having theoretical knowledge of the Dhamma.

To be a good Dhamma practitioner, theory is not enough, we need consistent, long-term, actual practice. 

It is usually better to fix a problem early; don’t wait until it gets worse before seeking a solution.

Well, I had chosen to ignore the toothache for a couple of years (don’t follow my bad example). Had I sought treatment early, I wouldn’t have had to face this ordeal.

 Start learning and practising the Dhamma now; don’t wait until a crisis arises and you get caught completely off guard.

 I am reminded of the urgency of practising the Five Daily Reflections as recommended by the Buddha as recorded in the Upajjhaṭṭhana Sutta (AN 5.57): 

1: I am liable to grow old, I am not exempt from old age

2: I am liable to get sick, I am not exempt from sickness

3: I am liable to die, I am not exempt from death

4: I must be parted and separated from all I hold dear and beloved

5: I am the owner of my deeds and heir to my deeds. Deeds are my womb, my relative, and my refuge. I shall be the heir of whatever deeds I do, whether good or bad

Let’s Get to the Root of It

As the Buddha said, the roots of the unskilled are greed (lobha), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha) (AN 3.69), which lead to suffering. And the root of suffering is craving (taṇhā) (MN 1, SN 56.11). 

So, let us all try our best to uproot this source of suffering – and in the meantime, keep your root canals clean and healthy!

Wise Steps

• Don’t wait, seek help for health problems immediately
• Even in pain, there can be a Dhamma lesson
• Remember the Five Daily Reflections