Yes, I lost my crown.

No, not that one.

It was the one in my mouth. One on a back molar. I was just innocently eating a piece of brownie when I bit down on something hard. Pulling the piece from my mouth I realized it was a gold crown. My first thought was that it had to belong to someone else. I didn’t feel it come off – my tooth didn’t hurt (thank you Lord), and it just seemed to appear from nowhere.

I went to clean off the crown and brush my teeth and sure enough it was mine. Now at this point, I’m just glad I hadn’t swallowed it, but then the questions started.

Why did this happen?
What do I do now?
How can I fix this?
How can I keep it from happening again?
Will this hurt?
Will it cost a lot of money?
Will this cause a lot of down time?

I realized that these were the same questions I always tend to ask whenever bad things happen. I always tend to want to over analyze a situation, figure out all the details, come up with quick fixes–when the best thing I can do is simply take the problem to someone who knows what they’re doing.

So – in this situation – I called the dentist. He asked me a couple of questions. Then he preceded to tell me I could either get some Vaseline or Fixadent and put the crown back on myself – then see him on Monday for a permanent fix. OR If I didn’t want to try that, I could just leave it off and be careful of chewing anything on that side and see him Monday. I opted for the latter. Why?

I’ve come to learn just how much I can mess up a situation by trying to take charge of something when I know nothing about it. Looking at that crown, I honestly couldn’t tell which way it would even fit back on. What if I put it on backwards and then I couldn’t get it off? What if I put it on and then it popped off again in my sleep and I swallowed it? Now, I’m sure some of you are very skilled and could have just put the silly thing back in place, but I had seen too many times when I boldly stormed the gates of life–unqualified–unprepared–and completely out of my element.

How many times could I have avoided complications to bad situations and hard times, if I would just take the problem to the One who knows what He’s doing? God never demands I fix my life or take care of tragedies on my own. Often, however, He gives me free choice. You can take this action on your own…. OR You can wait on me.

I chose to wait for the dentist and I don’t regret it. I’m still learning to wait on God. I wish it were a lesson I learned with ease or that I always go into without a second thought, but it’s not. I am hopeful, however, that in time and with practice, it will come more naturally.

So now the crown is back on – in time for Thanksgiving – and I’m ever so thankful for the fact that everything is back as it should be. Well, except that my husband has to have rotator cuff surgery, and my son needs knee surgery, and my mother may need shoulder surgery. Hmmmm, how hard can it be to operate on someone?

Tracie