“Do I need to fly back home to see my oral surgeon?” I rubbed my jaw, gently massaging my throbbing tooth. “We’ve only been in Scotland two weeks, and we have a whole month left of our vacation.”

My husband looked up from his laptop where he sat across from me at the kitchen table in our brightly lit cottage near Loch Ness. “Everything will work out. We’ll find you a dentist and get you taken care of.” His fingers clacked on the keyboard. “But it might be best if I research flights home for later this week or next, just in case.” Decisions, decisions!

Four days before we left California for our annual Scotland vacation, I had some dental work done. The tooth was still sensitive and had been getting increasingly uncomfortable for the past two weeks. That morning, I explored the tooth, tapping it with a teaspoon handle. Wait! I felt no pain. Tap, tap, tap. That tooth was perfectly fine. Ah, but, the one behind it, an implant tooth, was sore–and loose. What was going on?!

I took a sip of my raspberry tea. “Flying back home would be a lot of trouble.  But I think the implant is failing, and I don’t know if I want a dentist here to work on it.”

Chris gave me a wry smile and glanced out the window. “And now the weather has finally turned nice. This is a rare sunny and warm day in Scotland.” Decisions, decisions!

Later that day, I called my dentist in California (thank you, Ashley and Dr. Partrite). And I emailed my oral surgeon (thank you, Peggy, Christina, and Dr. Marre). They advised starting on an antibiotic. That seemed simple enough, but it was Easter weekend and medical facilities were closed. After considerable runaround, I was able to do get a prescription filled.

Two days later, I got in to see Dr. Barry, an implantologist in Inverness, who examined, probed, and x-rayed my mouth. He seemed knowledgeable, experienced, and caring. “The implant has failed, and it needs to be extracted. Would you consent to me doing that?” Decisions, decisions!

Sitting in that chair at Union Dental Centre, my mind drifted back to first grade at Kent Academy in Nigeria. In the 1960s, dentists didn’t have the best anesthesia available, and I dreaded the words, “You have a cavity, Debbie.”

My hands would grip the armrest as my face scrunched up in pain each time the drill sent a sharp zing through my jaw. Way back then, that dental office seemed like a torture chamber.

Fortunately, in Inverness, when I agreed to the procedure, the implantologist extracted my problem tooth with minimal discomfort. After the anesthesia wore off, I had absolutely no more pain. (Thank you Dr. Barry, Anita, Ellen, and Connor!)

Decisions can be stressful. I anticipated the worst–more pain, disruption of our holiday, returning home earlier than planned. The various options led me down a twisted path through pain, possibilities, and pleasure. From dreading the dentist, to appreciating the help, I’m so glad we decided to stay in Scotland.

Then Chris and I got on with enjoying our vacation. 

Some of the highlights so far have been:

• Strolls through small towns and big cities: Drumnadrochit, Inverness, and Dunfermline. Many businesses are in beautiful, old stone buildings. Some streets are still cobblestone. Everywhere I turn there are castles, cathedrals, and cottages.
• Browsing the charity shops in every town. No matter how small the village, I can find several charity shops. Each charity has its own small shop, unlike the big thrift stores in the US. My favorite treasures to hunt for are floral teacups, miniature cottages, and fairy figurines.
• Walks along forest paths. The weather can be cold, windy, and rainy any day of the year in Scotland. Yet the sun comes out randomly, and some days are quite lovely, especially in April.
• Gluten-free (GF) fish and chips. I love deep-fried anything, and in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have some British pubs, but I haven’t found GF fish and chips. The closest thing is GF tempura or pakora. In Scotland, even more so than the battered fish, I enjoy their deep-fried sausages. I’ve also had onion rings, calamari rings, and fish cakes. I’ve been hoping to try a deep-fried Mars®bar, but they contain gluten from barley malt extract.
• Meet ups with author friends whom I’ve connected with over the years on social media and have been privileged to meet in person. Coffee with Pauline in Inverness. A writer’s group session with Barbara and Becky. Tea with Merryn in Kincraig, Lunch with Wendy and Sheena in Dundee.
• Attending Inverness Baptist Church and seeing again how it’s so very much like Castro Valley First Baptist. Reconnecting with friends and making new ones: Andy and Cathy, Rob and Barbara, and Grant and Elizabeth on the worship team.
• Tea time with my new favourite variety–any berry tea. I gained a new friend on a woodland walk, Jessie, who lives in the Old School House in Drumnadrochit, and she invited me in for a cup of mixed berry tea.
• Taking photos of frolicking lambs in the fields. “Chris, stop the car, I’ve got to get out for this great shot.”

Over the next two weeks, we’re looking forward to the visits with family and friends in the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas. The most difficult decisions now are choosing dates for these delightful gatherings.

Photo credit of dentist: Sherry McElheran Bayne, Kent Academy, c. 1950s-1960s.

Check out these other stories on our previous trips to Scotland: The Land of the Scots and Scotland Vacation.