Root Cause Canal

I hadn’t been to the dentist in an embarrassingly long time. It has nothing to do with a phobia or childhood trauma. There was no dramatic backstory. Frankly, it wasn’t too soon after my mom stopped scheduling the appointments for me that I got married, and the new Mrs. Cellucci wanted nothing to do with that task. While I wasn’t afraid, as the years went on and I took my children to their appointments, my shame started to grow. Though I had no reason to be away from the dentist myself, the longer I was, the harder it was for me to come back. I imagined the dentist’s frown at my disgraceful attendance and the guilt-ridden leading questions asking me why my gum health was not a priority.

Last January, as I set my annual goals, I decided going to the dentist was on the list. Fast forward and Christmas decorations were going up all over town, I knew I was running out of time. I asked my wife for the number of her dentist for a third time, and I finally placed the call. Almost instantly, the dreaded question was asked: “How long since your last visit?” I tried several times to respond with a vague “much longer than it should be,” but she wouldn’t let me off the hook. When I finally gave her the estimated year of my last visit, her audible gasp alerted me that there would be more questions. “Did you have an allergic reaction? Do you pass out from the noise?” At some point in the interrogation, I blurted out, “I’d just like to move forward. Can we just move forward?” The woman on the other end of the phone bristled a bit and offered that they “just like to be sensitive to people’s past dental experiences.” I apologized for snapping and replied, “As long as you’re sensitive with my present experience, we will be just fine.”

As I stared at the ceiling during my appointment, with the hygienist not being as sensitive as I would have liked, I was reminded why I didn’t miss the dentist. I also couldn’t help but think about how my experience mirrored that of so many people I talk to who have drifted from the Church. While many have a very distinct reason for drifting that they can point to, more often than not, it’s not one single reason or any particular reason. But the longer they are away, the farther the distance becomes - and the harder it is to come back. For those who find their way back, it’s often out of a desire to look ahead and with the help of people who are focused on the good of their future, not the challenges of their past.

I heard the hygienist whisper to the dentist that “he confessed it’s been a long time.” Thankfully my penance was only a minor filling a few weeks from now. As we seek to be people who help others come back home, let’s make sure our focus is to help them move forward in faith.

Make sure you floss!