Pain

I am tormented by pain.

My teeth are hurting and that is bad.

Denmark is a welfare country. At least the politicians claim that our country still maintain that status regardless the fact that the early retirement, which was the foundation in our system have been targeted for several serious cuts.

In a welfare society vital treatment are offered for free. Regardless what kind of illness I could be having - even problems with the heart are cured for free.

But the teeth are seen as purely cosmetic treatment, so that why so many Danes like me have to suffer in silence.

You can always decide whether a Dane is rich or poor by looking at his or her teeth. In some case you can smell it. People who for one reason go bankrupt can only get help to the dentist from the authorities if they are able to prove that they have been paying customers for at least 10 years before their mishap occurred.

Danish dentists are also among the most expensive in Europe. People who have been able to bring a translator abroad to assist them explaining the problem to the foreign dentist can save up to 50 percent.

Unfortunately I don't have this option. Sweden would have been the natural choice, no sub-standard like in the Eastern Europe, where they are recovering from 50 years of communist rule. Sweden has the same standard as here in Denmark. However there is a problem. Even Swedish people are hard to understand and until recently the Danish language was forbidden.

So risking getting the wrong tooth treated is not worth it.

So like more than a million Danes I have to suffer in quietness.

It hurts a lot. Two old filling made by the an old over-the-hill school dentist who everyone knew on held that position due to his connections to the city hall are to be replaced.

A root-channel job on the right side did not turn out as my dentist anticipated. A gold crown broke off in the left side. So my pain comes from all over my mouth. I can only eat and drink very little.

That how it is for a poor Dane.

But if you ask me if it is worth having the pain just to remain in Denmark, I have to answer yes.

We have so many other things to be happy off.

My children can drink alcohol in public once they have been confirmed and they can buy it on their own, once they turn 16. If they stay together with other youth doing the same, they are not like all too many people on this planet in risk of being blown up by a suicide bomber.

My children don’t have to care about grades. There is no pressure on them if they choose to underachieve. They belong to the working class like me. We have given up battling the social heritage. The result has been a peaceful society where the lack of competition results in lesser crime and more peace.

Is that not worth if the price is severe pain every single day?

Yes: At any time!