Dental Problems

Ellen White's teeth were causing her a good deal of trouble. Some were abscessing, and she concluded it was time to get rid of them. She had only eight left, and she wrote to Dr. Caro, the dentist in whose home she had stayed in Napier, inquiring whether she could not come down to Wellington and have them pulled out. They settled on the date, Wednesday, July 5.4BIO 97.6

That Wednesday morning after breakfast she wrote to her son William, “Sister Caro is here; leaves at half past one o'clock. You know what will take place. I am not afraid. My teeth are troubling me a little too much for comfort.”—Letter 132, 1893.4BIO 98.1

At the end of the day she told the story in her diary:4BIO 98.2

Sister Caro came in the night; is in the house. I met her in the morning at the breakfast table. She said, “Are you sorry to see me?” I answered, “I am pleased to meet Sister Caro, certainly. Not so certain whether I am pleased to meet Mrs. Dr. Caro, dentist.”

At ten o'clock I was in the chair, and in a short time eight teeth were drawn. I was glad the job was over. I did not wince or groan.... I had asked the Lord to strengthen me and give me grace to endure the painful process, and I know the Lord heard my prayer.4BIO 98.3

After the teeth were extracted, Sister Caro shook like an aspen leaf. Her hands were shaking, and she was suffering pain of body. She had felt sick, she said, on the cars during her ten hours’ ride. She dreaded to give pain to Sister White.... But she knew she must perform the operation, and went through with it.—Manuscript 81, 1893.4BIO 98.4

Ellen White took nothing to deaden the pain, for she suffered adverse aftereffects of such medication.4BIO 98.5

Then the patient turned attendant. She led Dr. Caro to a comfortable chair, and found something to refresh her. As Ellen White looked ahead, she could see that she would have to give up public work for a while, perhaps for two months, when Dr. Caro would fit her for a new set of teeth. She pushed ahead with her writing.4BIO 98.6