I had always been terrified at the thought of having a tooth extracted, and I had been a student of Christian Science several years before it became necessary for me to go to a dental office for that purpose. A lower tooth had been giving me some trouble, so I decided to have it removed. Having thus resolved, I was seized with a terrible sense of fear, and for an instant it would have been easier to have played the part of a coward. But my faith was at stake, and I thought I must prove my religion. Despite my seemingly great struggle, I knew I must press on and prove what I had accepted as my strong reliance.
With this thought — and it came with the utmost conviction — all sense of fear left me ; it was like the lifting of a black cloud, and I found myself in a normal mental state. I entered the office, told the dentist my mission, and sat down and had the tooth removed, being scarcely conscious of the operation. When the work was done, the dentist remarked that I must have had courage, as the two roots were very crooked. This proof of Truth's power in my hour of need was to me perfect, the operation being entirely painless, although I understand dentists consider this particular tooth one of the most difficult to extract. It is always with a great sense of gratitude for Christian Science that I recall this experience.— Salem, Ore.
