Initial situation: a festered tooth, inflammation of the tooths root.
Question to the YiJing: would it be better to just clean the puss out, or to have the tooth extracted? (Implying a visible gap between the teeth)
The Divination:
Hexagram 39 „Obstruction“, lines 2 and 3 changing to Hexagram 29 „The Abyss“.
General advice of the unchanging Hexagram is to go see a great leader able to work with people to push through the obstruction and to avoid mountaineous areas (Northeast) in favour to flat areas (Southwest). Southwest equals the gum here, Northeast the mountain, or tooth.
The great leader obviously is represented by the dentist. The lower trigram represents the tooth by the Trigram Gen, which also represents a mountain. Above the mountain looms danger, represented by the Trigram Kan. Also, the movement is limited to Trigram Gen. Not good, the tooth will move, it has to go.
The inner Hexagram equals Hexagram 64, „Before Completion“, Fire above Water, signaling the inflammation. Evaluating the overall image, it looks like the tooth has to go.
The moving lines
The second line gives advice for clear communication for doing the right thing. So the dentist should be adressed with questions illuminating the situation to the patient in the most clear way, so that there is no regret later.
Third line forecasts that the obstruction will be met by going (to the dentist), but when returning (at home) there will be a warm welcome. The third line is next to the abyss and the danger of the upper Trigram Kan, which should be avoided. However, all changing lines finally make up the Hexagram for Abyss, which will when having travelled through it, will be followed by success.
In any case, danger is descending upon the tooth and the inflammation (Inner Hexagram Fire above Water) is already inside of the abyss of the tooth: its toothbed. The resulting Hexagram 29 is the Trigram for a huge abyss, which in this case would be the cavity left once the tooth is out and then has to heal.
So the prediction is: „The tooth is in danger and needs to give way for the abyss, so that the gum can heal. Going through this, there will be success in the end“.
Outcome in the real world
The dentist said that the tooth is yet merely dangling to a lump of infected gum. The tooth was pulled, shortened a bit, put back in place, and then taped to the adjacent healthy teeth. The gum healed, the row of teeth inside the mouth doesnt show a gap, and the tooth is functianl again. The surgical operation itself, however, was quite exhausting to the patient. In the end, the gum is happy and healed, the danger is gone, and the tooth itself still serves its function.
