Dentistry 2

Well, it's over and done with.
Time to share.

I'm not totally recovered yet, my jaw won't open all the way comfortably, so my yawns sort of become pseudo-grimaces, but other than that and the occasional little twinge, doing well.

So I didn't know what to expect going to the oral surgeon's place with Munin and an xray of my jaw.

Went in, filled out a form which had a lot of blanks under allergies to various medicines... (shrug) never had them, who can say? Handed them my xray and waited a little bit.

Few minutes later, in I go. Tearful farewells were cut short as I was unceremoniously dragged into the operating area by a squad of muscular pygmies in white tiger skins... hmm... no that's not right.

So I went in and sat down, looking at the dentist's chair.

Minute later in comes the surgeon, I have a seat in `the chair' and he says he'll take a look at what seems to be a simple impacted tooth with a cavity. Quick glance in my mouth, `yup that is what it is.'

Then comes the needle, "we'll just freeze up that area, you'll feel a little sting as the needle goes into the gum," funny didn't really feel anything... cool. Then the needle goes out and back in and back in and "now we'll freeze the nerve," (warning bells!!!)... nope, didn't feel anything really... a little odd sensation but that's it.

"We'll give that about five minutes and see how you are doing."

Off he goes.

Cool... Relax... wait for it... Huh.

(time passes)
(time passes)

Cool.

In he comes again just as I notice my lip going a bit funny and my tongue as well.

"Is your lip getting numb, and your tongue?"

Damn, that's eerie, like he's done it before...

Anyways, there is also a `nurse?' Not sure if that would be the right word, but ok.

So they look around, say some things and then.

"We'll get started now, if you feel anything or the like just raise your left hand."

I consider this calmly. Look at it from a performance versus risk perspective and proceed to recross my hands, this time with the left over the right.

Then away they go.
A bit of a saw thingy; I'm guessing since I couldn't see anything.
A few polite requests to, "tilt your jaw down."

"Now you will feel some tugging."
"Put some stitches in, they'll dissolve so you don't have to come back in."

And about five minutes later, "done."

Whoa.
Cool.

I get a bit of gauze, and am told some things I should and shouldn't do. I nod appreciatively and basically forget them. Thankfully there is a paper with them on it.

So out I go. Back to see Munin after having been gone maybe 15 minutes at most.

Pay some ungodly amount of money if it was worked out by the hour. And I am free to go pick up pain killers and anti-biotics.

Nice little walk, go do that and then head home.
Feeling pretty good with the novocaine. Take a pain killer for when that wears off and settle into waiting.

Munin has to go off to work and I'm doing ok, so no problems!

Of course 6 hours later I'm doing some quite imitations of a very unhappy cat as I take my second painkiller.

But after that hump and a couple teabags in my mouth everything is pretty good.

I ended up taking three of the painkillers and am running through my antibiotics so as to avoid creating super-virus' and that's my story.

It's a bit annoying trying to eat something that is large, so small bites it is as I am in day 4. The extraction was Monday morning.

I'm trying to be careful about stitches etc, but it would be nice to get a decent lionesque yawn in... oh well, in time...

But it's done. Glad that it is done. I'm impressed and glad I had such a good experience.

Anyways, thanks for listening :D

Posted by hugin at Diciembre 4, 2003 03:41 PM