The Teeth

Nathan was nervous about going to the dentist. He never liked going to the dentist. Ever since he was a child, there was something about a stranger looking into your mouth, that felt so violating and scary. At some point, he kept expecting the dentist to pull out his tongue with a pair of tongs, claiming to him that he doesn't need a tongue in his mouth. 

"All that matters is teeth," he would say with his own smile, showing off his straight white teeth, as Nathan squirmed in agony from his tongue getting ripped from his body. 

He never told his wife about this fear, because he was afraid that she would tease him about this. She wasn't a bad person, and while Nathan was grateful that he found the perfect woman with a great sense of humor, this felt so touchy and personal to him. Some fears should never be made fun of, and this was one of them. 

His poor mother knew about it, since she had to deal with him for years when he was a kid. Her face would be a bright red every time he would leave the dentist with her, and shame would flow through him. 

"The dentist only wants to check your teeth. He doesn't want to tear them out, Nathan," she would seethe with anger, her fingers clutching the wheel, and he wondered if she was picturing wrapping her hands around his neck. 

He didn't exactly have a happy childhood. And perhaps he could have gotten over his fear if she had helped him, but she preferred to drink and gossip to her friends on the phone than pay any attention to him. The one thing that bothered him the most, was when she would be drinking from the bottle while talking to her friends. 

If she was already pretty wasted, her teeth would be wrapped around the bottle, as if she wanted to bite down on the glass, breaking her teeth in the process. Nathan wondered if she did it on purpose, because he only saw her do this whenever he was around. 

This memory kept haunting Nathan as he made his way to the dentist. He had moved to a small town with his wife, the two of them ready for a new start. She had gotten a job as a teacher, and here he was, trying to make his living as a writer. It wasn't going well for him, but his supportive wife was what kept him going. The thought of giving up would hurt her, and he wouldn't allow that to happen. 

If only he had some sort of inspiration. 

He parked his car in the driveway, and got out of the car, happy to see that there were only a couple of cars. Maybe he won't have to wait long, and he will be able to escape as fast as he can. He walked inside, and a young woman greeted him with a smile. Her white teeth began to make Nathan feel uneasy, and his eyes lingered on her teeth, as she spoke to him. 

"Please wait in the lobby. Dr. Smiley will be with you shortly."

That almost got a laugh out of him. The woman noticed this, and smiled, but did not show her teeth this time. 

"I know. It's so on the nose, isn't it?," she rolled her eyes. 

"Yeah. It is," Nathan agreed. 

He sat down, and thought about taking out his phone, or reaching for the random magazines on the table. But he decided against this, once he saw the smile of the woman plastered on the cover. He massaged his temple. 

"Get it together. You're being ridiculous," he muttered to himself. 

"Nathan Sawyer?"

The doctor was exactly the kind of person that Nathan expected to work as a dentist. Minus his attractive good looks that reminded him of those male models on magazines he remembered finding under his mother's mattress. It took him years to learn why they were hidden from him, and he regretted learning about his mother's 'urges.'

"That's me."

Nathan stood up, and made his way to the dentist. He could feel his legs wanting to give out under him, but he forced himself to follow Dr. Smiley. He wasn't a child, he was a grown man with a teeth phobia, and he had to get over it. 

Dr. Smiley led him to a room, and asked him to lie down on the dental chair. Dr. Smiley pulled the overhead light over to him, and retrieved a couple of tools to check on his teeth. Nathan clenched his hands into fists, hoping that Dr. Smiley wouldn't notice his discomfort. 

"My, my. Your teeth need a thorough cleaning. You don't want any cavities, don't you, Mr. Sawyer?"

"N - No," Nathan tried to say with the tools in his mouth. Dr. Smiley removed the tools, and Nathan felt like he could breathe again. 

"I'm going to have to use the big guns for this one, Mr. Sawyer. I'm afraid your teeth will perish if I don't use this extreme method."

"What is…this method you are talking about?," Nathan asked with a tremble in his voice. 

"There is no need to be afraid, Mr. Sawyer. I could feel it from the lobby. I promise you, after this, you will no longer be afraid of teeth."

Dr. Smiley smiled at him, and then opened his mouth wide. A pair of human eyes stared back at him from within the darkness of his throat. Nathan screamed, but it was abruptly cut short when a large tongue the size of a weenie dog, emerged from the dark chasm that was Dr. Smiley's mouth. It thrusted itself into Nathan's mouth, and began to clean. 

Nathan struggled and squirmed beneath this thing, and he found himself becoming unconscious, entering a black void. 

---

Nathan finally wrote his first book. It wasn't what he expected, but it was still a good start for him. It was a horror novel, one that focused on a young man who had a phobia of teeth. His wife was the first one to read his book, and the delightful look on her face made all the sacrifices worth it. 

"Oh my god, Nathan! This is a total masterpiece! You need to publish this! I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it!"

She hugged Nathan, and he felt so proud, beyond content that he never let her down. 

"Thank you, sweetheart. That means the world."

She kissed him on cheek. "I'm going to start dinner. I'll be sure to bake you a cake, to celebrate. And I'm going to brag to all of my friends about this!"

She headed toward the kitchen, a beat to her step. 

Nathan smiled. He was no longer afraid to smile, or to show off his teeth. It was a perfect smile, that exposed his straight white teeth. 

He thought of the ending line he had given his story, once the main character had overcome his fear of teeth, embracing the monster that had helped him get over his fear. 

"All that matters is teeth."

---

Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn