The Ballad of the Tooth
1. The tooth that got away!!
A tooth is a tooth they say,
But not all tooths are equal,
They come in different shapes and sizes,
To grind and cut and chew the prizes,
That come to pass their way.
2. While they sit beside each other,
They work together with their brother,
To prepare delicious food for the stomach,
Fruit, vegetables, meat, and cake,
Taken from the plate,
That yummy stuff we salivate.
3. Incisors, molars, and bicuspids too,
As adults we have in all thirty-two,
Wisdom teeth are at the back,
On top and bottom each side,
Between the teeth there is a little space,
Where food particles hide in secret place.
4. Cleaning teeth is a daily chore,
It is done after meals at morning and night,
We take good care of them to protect our bight,
Flossing, brushing needs much attention,
In order that there is prevention,
Of having teeth that decay and put pain in our way.
5. But as we age, they can cause trouble,
Acids and sugars attack the enamel,
Sticky substances grab on tight,
And then those nasty decay monsters alight,
They bring in their hammers and digging tools,
Working day and night they burrow down in delight.
6. If you want to have great teeth and a wide smile,
You need to clean and care for teeth with style,
Practice healthy hygiene all the way by avoiding too much sugar,
Fizzy drinks, lollies and chocolate delights are yummy,
They really make us happy, but we must ensure,
That to the decay monsters we close the door.
7. Sad to say not everyone has all their teeth,
I have a part plate with four teeth,
When I was a young lad, I had tooth ache unbelievably bad,
Abscesses developed under the gums,
The dentist said out those teeth must come,
Four front top teeth suddenly were gone.
8. As I grew older, my jaws began to ache,
There was no relief from pain to take,
The problem had come,
Because due to decay, the dentist had removed some,
Teeth towards the back of my mouth,
Leaving large gaps that caused movement in the house.
9. TMJ was the dreaded result,
Which it seems was not my fault,
I suffered pain from my jaws into the head,
The doctor told me all that I could do,
Was take pain killers and do not chew,
On tough items and bight hard things through.
10. After much searching a dentist I found,
Had studies this problem profound,
Splints he said would save the day,
Making the pain go away!
Accordingly, he changed the gap between my bite,
And you know he was right!
11. Many a year has now gone by,
Until today, after three appointments done,
Off to a new dentist I did run,
The fit of the splints had worn away two teeth,
Causing massive pressure underneath,
To stop the excruciating pain… out another tooth came.
12. I am hoping that is all that is needed,
As I continue, on life’s way,
Once again, I have to say,
It is so good not to have that aching pain,
Again, being able to enjoy all my food,
This poem now I can conclude!
Neil P. Schiller
17 June 2020