A man, Mr. Harris, nervously settles into the dentist’s chair. He hasn’t had a check-up in years, and his anxiety is palpable. The dentist, Dr. Chen, is a kind woman who tries to put him at ease.
“Alright, Mr. Harris,” she says cheerfully, clipping the paper bib around his neck. “Let’s just have a look and see what’s going on in there. Open wide.”
Mr. Harris reluctantly opens his mouth, and Dr. Chen begins her examination, humming softly. After a few moments of poking around with her small mirror, she puts her tools down and sighs.
“Well, the bad news is you have a pretty significant cavity in one of your molars,” she says, showing him the spot on an x-ray. “It’s quite deep. We’ll need to drill and fill it.”
Mr. Harris’s eyes widen in terror. “A drill? Oh, I don’t know if I can handle that. I’m terrified of the drill.”
Dr. Chen nods sympathetically. “It’s a very common fear. But don’t worry, we’ll make sure you’re completely numb. You won’t feel a thing, I promise. It’s a routine procedure.”
The man still looks unconvinced, wringing his hands. “Is there… is there any other way? Anything at all?”
Dr. Chen thinks for a moment. “Well, there is a newer, experimental technique. It involves using a concentrated beam of light and a special bonding agent. It’s completely silent and painless, no drilling involved.”
A wave of relief washes over Mr. Harris’s face. “That sounds amazing! Perfect! Let’s do that!”
“There’s just one catch,” Dr. Chen says, looking at him seriously. “The procedure is still in trial phases and not covered by insurance. It’s quite expensive.”
“How expensive?” Mr. Harris asks, his hope dwindling.
Dr. Chen checks her computer. “It would be about five thousand dollars.”
Mr. Harris sits bolt upright in the chair, his fear completely gone, replaced by a look of utter indignation.
“Five thousand dollars!?” he exclaims. “For a tooth?” He scoffs and points at the drill on the tray. “You know what? On second thought, that drill doesn’t look so scary after all.”