The entire morning was filled with a steady stream of appointments after the team leader left, presumably for a break. I kept confirming each reservation. After four days, I was starting to get a feel for working here. As I sent out confirmation messages, Japanese patients lined up on time for their treatments.
Five patients had common issues: cavities, a ceramic crown that had fallen off from a previous treatment, tartar removal, and periodontal disease. However, the last patient was quite unusual. His name was Tamaaki Yuzuru, and apart from his lips being torn and bleeding, he seemed fine. But when he opened his mouth, it was a complete mess.
I had never seen so many canker sores. The inflammation was so dense, covering not only his tongue but also the area beneath it, making me wince just by looking at it. What could have caused this? Did a bomb go off in his mouth? When I asked him what he had been doing, he didn’t respond.
"Did you chew on a sea urchin or a hedgehog?"
"......No."
Silence followed. He either didn’t answer my questions or responded very slowly. After administering anesthesia, I burned the inflamed areas with a laser. The smell of burning flesh made me work methodically, but I realized I would likely exceed the next appointment time, so I sent a message to the next patient to inform them of the delay.
I had him rinse and wrote prescriptions for anti-inflammatory and mouthwash medications. I then lectured him to avoid rough, hard, or spicy foods, and to abstain from alcohol and smoking. I also advised him to get at least eight hours of sleep. Tamaaki, who had been listening to me blankly, slowly nodded. I then took a handful of vitamin candies from my pocket and placed them in his hand.
"Since they contain vitamins, take one whenever you feel stressed. Can you take a leave?"
"......No."
How do these people take leave? While my weekends are fixed, I’m not sure how the rotating shift workers manage their time off.
"Even if you can’t take a leave, it’s best to rest, eat well, and get plenty of sleep. If that’s not possible, there’s nothing we can do. You can ask the team leader if a dentist’s recommendation can grant you leave. If it’s possible, come running. I’ll say that you need a two-day break because you absolutely need it."
I even gave him dental floss, making his pockets overflow. See you in four days. Take care of your health. After this lecture-like consultation, I called the next patient.
While treating an engineer from Team A’s cavity, someone messaged me on my pad. It was a Japanese staff member who had been my patient, but strangely, he wasn’t asking about his own teeth; he was inquiring about Tamaaki Yuzuru’s condition. I thought it might be Sato, the team leader of Team D, but the name was different.
I replied while the patient was rinsing his mouth: [I cannot disclose another patient’s medical records.] After that, the chat stopped.
It’s been four days since I arrived, and I still can’t believe I’m under the sea. Even though I try not to feel trapped, I sometimes sense it. It’s a strange feeling.
A dentist’s job involves seeing patients from morning until evening, with no breaks except for lunch. In this sense, it’s similar to a typical office worker or self-employed person. You’re confined to one place and can’t move far from your position except during lunch.
I thought life on land and life in an underwater base wouldn’t be much different. But being here, I realized there was a clear difference. The air I breathe feels different, almost like I’m treating patients on an airplane. I feel like a fish trapped in a tank, artificially created to barely sustain human life.
I’m glad I’m not very social or active. People who can’t sit still might go crazy after just one day here. Even though I’m introverted, I strongly feel the urge to breathe fresh air and feel the wind. And it’s only been four days!
Seeing a gap in the next appointment, I hesitated for a moment before taking the central elevator. As soon as I stepped out on the 0th floor, I wandered aimlessly on the artificial island. The wind was incredibly strong, and the white wind turbines were spinning rapidly. I thought I would have been blown away if I were a bit lighter. After a few steps, the intense sunlight attacked my eyes.
After enjoying the sunlight, sea breeze, and dust for five minutes, I felt a strong desire to return to the warm, quiet, and empty dental clinic. It’s cold. The wind is too strong. I want something sweet. I quickly took the central elevator back to the underwater base and rushed to the coffee shop in the central building.
The [Red Coral] in the 4th Underwater Base is a coffee shop run by a Japanese woman named Fumiko. Over the past few days, I’ve been drinking about two cups a day, trying most of the beverages here. The best one is the [Red Coral Coffee], a latte with three shots of espresso that sends caffeine directly into your bloodstream. It’s really delicious, but my hands shake from the caffeine after drinking it. I wanted something sweet, but I ordered an orange blend for my next appointment and waited.
There were quite a few chairs next to the coffee shop, and people who ordered drinks were either waiting, chatting, or arguing. Before I arrived, a man and a woman were already having a verbal argument. I was prepared to stop them or call a medic if they started fighting with their fists, but they sat peacefully, baring their teeth and arguing aggressively and quickly until my drink arrived.
I sipped the well-crushed ice orange juice while sitting in a chair, pretending not to notice. I realized that most people around the coffee shop were watching them like I was, and I felt relieved as I returned to the dental clinic, where patients might be arriving.
On my way back to the clinic, I wondered how problems or conflicts are handled here. The underwater base guidebook mentions the Underwater Cultural Heritage Protection Convention; there must be something like an Underwater Base Employee Protection Convention as well. I haven’t finished reading all the documents related to my employment. Looking at the shark’s skull from a distance, I suddenly asked myself:
......Am I tired? I held the orange blend with both hands. As a new employee here, I still feel a bit awkward about working in an underwater base. The job itself is quite different from what I did on land. Without dental hygienists or dental technicians, I have to do everything myself, which is exhausting. Fortunately, there are only a few patients, and everything is state-of-the-art, or I might have run away on the first day. ......But could I really run away, given the salary?
First, the laws here are different from those in Korea. Here, dentists can make dental prosthetics. When I asked Freya if I was the only dentist and if they planned to hire more, she said they had already posted job ads in Russia and New Zealand. Considering my hiring process, it would probably take at least two months for a new person to arrive. I thought, looking at the approaching shark’s mouth. Okay. Let’s aim to survive for two months.