Please help me find this story about a guy with a toothache.

April 17, 2023 9:21 AM

Initially I thought it was by Patricia Highsmith. All I remember is he had a toothache and it was driving him mad. I read it in the 90's or early 2000's. More than likely written before the 1980's.

The rest of these details are much fuzzier:

The pain was consuming every aspect of his life.
His family was sick of him talking about his tooth/pain.
He couldn't find any relief.
Dentist was not helpful.

posted by mokeydraws to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

Best answer: Was it definitely a male character? Shirley Jackson's "The Tooth" (1948) comes to mind but is about a woman.
posted by Stacey at 9:27 AM on April 17, 2023

Is it a short story or a book?
posted by the webmistress at 10:06 AM on April 17, 2023

Did he shoot himself at the end?
posted by Mogur at 10:27 AM on April 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

Was it Affliction by Russell Banks?
posted by ojocaliente at 11:06 AM on April 17, 2023

Probably not what you are after, but "A Horsey Name", by Anton Chekhov, fits the bill. It was published in 1885.
posted by alex1965 at 12:31 PM on April 17, 2023

Probably not Ionesco's The Lesson.
posted by jocelmeow at 1:22 PM on April 17, 2023

Response by poster: It has to be The Tooth by Shirley Jackson! I'll have to find a copy. Thank you. Now that I think of it, it makes more sense that it's a woman.

Thank you!
posted by mokeydraws at 1:32 PM on April 17, 2023