Sharp inhaling suctions, combined with scratching metallic resonations filled the silence of the Dentists waiting room.

Why did this place always feel so cold?

My hands were glacial, and my arms were covered in goosebumps. There was a sterilized odor that wafted around this room, which always made me hungry. Seems weird, but that's the truth.

The usual posters of women rubbing their perfect white smiles in my face. My teeth weren't rubbish, because I've always looked after them. It was just a cleaning session.

A woman appeared from the hallway, in a navy-blue shirt and pants,

'Ruby'.

I forced myself from the seat and followed the woman. 'How've you been?' she turned around and faced me, in a cheerful voice.

That was another thing, why are people who work at the dentist so cheerful?

'I'm fine thanks' I shrugged.

'That's good to hear' she told me absentmindedly as we found our way to the room.

'Take a seat for me', the assistant gestured to the chair with her arm. I sat in the leather recliner, lifted my legs onto the footrest as the seat bent over backwards. Lying flat on my back, I swallowed firmly, knowing what's to come. The instruments clanked and jingled on the Dentist's torture table next to a plastic cup of mouthwash.

'Just rinse your mouth and put these on'.

She handed me a pair of glasses while I took a sip of mouthwash. I swished the strong, minty liquid around my mouth, before I spat it out into the side basin. I slid the glasses up to where my nose and forehead met, forced to recline back into the seat in order to move my shoulders, toes and ankles one last time.

Another pair of footsteps creaked on the wooden floor.

'Hey Ruby, how've you been'.



'Fine thanks'.

The dentist plonked into a swiveling chair and grabbed a double-sided mirror.

'Open wide for me Ruby', he instructed. I opened wide and he moved the mirror slowly, under close examination.

'Ok let's get started'

The instruments scratched, shrilled and breathed cold air on my reactive teeth, stinging and aching from skewering wrenches. A white pipe was stuffed into my already gaping mouth. It sucked the salivary moisture out as my throat shriveled, my thirst unable to be quenched.

The movie on the screen above was unassuming.

Why?

Because there was no sound. All I could see were two masked faces, they asked me if I was 'okay' three times. Well, I couldn't answer exactly. They rummaged with their slippery rubber-gloved hands into my gob and jabbed the insides of my cheek simultaneously. My jaw twinged and throbbed, unable to break from its expanded position, the bone pressurized by the muscles. These people deliberately invaded my personal space for a living.

Why are mouths so sensitive?

I've no idea.

The seat reclined upwards, and I was given a cup of water to swish around my mouth.

'So Ruby, have you considered having braces?'

My eyebrows jerked as I spat the bloody, acidic fluid out. (511 words)