Since my pre-teen days in SGH as an innocent "subject" for aspiring dentists (i.e. students of dentistry school), I've pretty much overcome the fear of dental appointments.

But my last couple of visits to the dentist presented to me challenges I haven't quite encountered before...He was fixing my teeth over a couple of appointments to re-do some of the fillings. He even convinced me that I needed a crown for one of my molars.

The hardest part of those sessions wasn't the vibration from the drill. Or the blinding spotlamp. And shockingly, it also wasn't about the irritating nurse who was incompetently poking the side wall of my cheeks with the suction tube! (I discovered red bruises on my cheek after that appointment!)

The hardest part of the sessions were . . .

#1 "Your tongue is blocking my mirror! You gotta lower it... no, no... it's blocking it again! Lower it!"

Very obviously, my dentist isn't a Christian. Or else, he would know that "no one can tame the tongue"! Ok... I know... I am defintiely misquoting Apostle James here, but you get my point. Do people actually practise tongue exercises without the mirror in the car, or in front of TVs?

#2 "Stop swollowing... You gotta learn how to breathe through your nose! "

Doctor, I can't breathe if I don't! Breathing through my nose with my mouth wide open?! Is that even physiologically possible?! Maybe it's just me that's inflicted with this handicap.

According to my dentist, I need to do another crowning. To survive the procedure (literally), I better pick up some "breathing exercises"! I am, though, getting quite good with my tongue!