My tooth broke in August.
How broken is my tooth? Well, there’s a hole in my tooth where a filling used to be, a crack that goes into my gum-line, and a piece of my tooth flaps (which, for the record, is not a thing a tooth should do). Plus, there’s a sharp piece that stabs my tongue every thirty minutes like clockwork.
In my non-professional opinion I would call my wonky tooth broken-broken. My dentist agrees.
How did I break my tooth? The simple answer: a French fry.
Having a broken tooth is fascinating. There are so many things we take for granted. One of them simply being able to eat. With a broken tooth snacking holds no appeal. And certain foods that I normally adore (e.g. baby carrots) are a hard pass.
Eating in public is a no since I have to fish food out from the hole in my tooth the moment I’m done eating. Sometimes even mid-bite. And there’s nothing like biting down and feeling your tooth push out of place. It’s an experience, to say the least.
For the most part it’s not too painful. Though there have been moments when I’ll breathe in and wish I never had to breathe again. Or a piece of pepper will get stuck in the hole in my tooth and the nerves in my face will yell: WHY DID YOU DO THAT, DUMMY?!
Having shared all this, I am not down about my tooth. In fact, I hesitate to even bring it up. Yet, with all the drama, heartache, broken things, and overwhelming adulting this year has brought our family’s way, my broken tooth has brought things into a clearer perspective.
It’s made me thankful for things like eating and breathing without pain, having the means to get my tooth fixed (next week!), and for a family that understands when I need a moment to disappear to pluck food out of my tooth or just be sad that my tooth is freaking broken.
A broken tooth will teach you who truly cares about you. A broken tooth will show you what’s a real priority versus a manufactured crisis. A broken tooth will force you to slow down, make better eating choices, and chew your food carefully.
This month I applied these lessons to more than just my tooth. This month I took a deep breath, a step back, and took a hard look at my priorities and goals.
Which has oddly made me grateful for my broken tooth.
Life is such a weirdo.
