When A Tooth Takes You Out: The Reality of Running a Small Business While Sick

I began this blog post about a week or so ago. The topic? How small business owners aren't allowed to take sick days. I got exactly two sentences in before I was done—physically, mentally, emotionally done.

Then I spent the next week berating myself for missing two blog posts that my mom and sister read. (Hi Mom. Hi Tace. Sorry.)

Now it's time to start writing again, and even though I've been working since 4:30 this morning, I've been frozen on what to say. Because here's the truth: there's nothing more demoralizing than disappointing yourself.

And that's where I've been for the last week and a half—stuck in a loop of disappointment, pain, and the very real consequences of trying to run a business while your body actively rebels against you.

How It Started

Sunday: I stood up from my office chair, stepped wrong (apparently?), and was rewarded with a hairline fracture in my foot. Good times. But no big deal—I've worked through worse.

Monday: A toothache showed up. Not a big deal. Bad genetics, EDS, and a historically terrible sugary-drink-filled diet had prepared me for this. Or so I thought.

Tuesday: The tooth wasn't getting better. I brushed and flossed obsessively (multiple times), but the ache persisted. Not terrible, but enough to know it wasn't going away on its own.

The Medical Merry-Go-Round

Not having a regular dentist in the area I trust (key detail), I called my GP—whom I adore. But she had to see me in person to prescribe anything. So, Tuesday, I hauled myself to her office and walked out with antibiotics and steroids. Based on historical evidence, they would work.

History was wrong.

By Friday, something was clearly more wrong. I made an appointment with a dentist my doctor recommended, and they immediately referred me to a maxillofacial surgeon. That's when I knew I was in trouble.

The weekend crawled by—pain, swelling, more pain. Finally, Tuesday arrived: extraction day.

The Extraction Nobody Warned Me About

If you've never had a fully abscessed tooth extracted, let me save you some trouble: DO NOT DO IT AWAKE.

The surgeon asked if I wanted sedation. I laughed it off. "I've had a tooth pulled before. Give me some gas and we're good to go."

I was so, so wrong.

I'll spare you the ugly details, but it hurt in ways I didn't know tooth pain could hurt. And I've had a lot of dental work done. This was different.

What Nobody Tells You About Being a Solopreneur

Here's what happens when you're a one-person business and you get taken out by an abscessed tooth:

The work stops. The income stops. The momentum stops.

But the bills don't stop. The self-criticism doesn't stop. The guilt about not showing up—for your customers, your community, yourself—definitely doesn't stop.

I couldn't write. I could design, but not well enough to trust my gut. I couldn't think clearly enough to post on social media or update my shop or respond to messages with anything more coherent than "I'm sorry, I'm sick."

And the whole time, that voice in my head kept saying: You're letting people down. You're not working hard enough. Other people push through pain—why can't you?

The Part Where I'm Supposed to Say Something Positive

I'm supposed to end this on an uplifting note. Something about resilience or lessons learned or silver linings.

But honestly? I'm still tired. My mouth still hurts. I'm still behind on everything I planned to do this month. And I'm still working through the disappointment of not being superhuman.

So here's what I've got:

I'm still here. That counts for something.

My shop is still open. Even when I can't actively promote it, the work I've already done continues to exist in the world.

This will pass. It always does. The pain fades, the swelling goes down, the antibiotics do their job, and eventually I'll have the energy to catch back up.

And maybe, possibly, probably, I'll remember this the next time I'm tempted to berate myself for being human.

If you're reading this and you've ever felt like you're failing because your body or brain decided to tap out for a while: you're not failing. You're surviving. And sometimes, survival is the win.

Thanks for being here, even when I'm a mess.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have about 47 things to catch up on.

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About the Author
Gal is an autistic artist, late-diagnosed at 49, and the creator of AuRTistic Expressions—a space where neurodivergent truth meets creative survival. Through books, blog posts, printables, and coaching, Gal explores what it means to unmask safely, communicate authentically, and make art that doesn’t ask for permission. Stick around—there’s plenty more where this came from.

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash