The appointment was at 10 AM this morning. We (my dearest and I) had to wait until 10:45, which did nothing to improve my nerves. Also not helping was the giant TV screen showing computer animations of all the horrible things that can happen to you when you lose teeth and don't get bridges or implants.
I'd had a consultation back in February with the dentist. I found him to be very A to B, communicative and nice. Nothing had changed since then and he was very willing to answer my nervous questions as I was prepped for the extractions.
I had one soft tissue impaction (the tooth was under the gum) and three partial bony impactions (the tooth was partly under the bone). I didn't have any pain, but the teeth needed to come out because I didn't have enough room in my mouth for them. I would get stitches on the lower two, but not on the upper two. The dentist would be cutting into the muscle of my lower jaw, so I'd have limited movement of my jaw. The stitches were the dissolvable kind.
I would be going partially under for the procedure with the drugs Sentinol and Versed. I would also have nitrous oxide. The Sentinol and Versed were administered through an IV. I was informed that the Versed would not only help to put me under faster, but it would also cause short-term memory loss, so I wouldn't remember the procedure.
The needle going in was painful, but not at all unbearable. With deep breaths I was able to be pretty calm about it (also squeezing dearest's hand). The Versed was injected immediately and in about five seconds the room swam and I had to put my head back. Dearest left the room and I got the Sentinol, which really had me spinning. The nitrous oxide mask went on and everything was just really drowsy and serene.
Contrary to what the Versed was supposed to do, I remember the procedure, but that's not a bad thing. I was numbed to the gills - my entire mouth, throat, tongue and even the outside of my cheeks, chin and lower lip. My mouth was stretched really far open, but thanks to the Novocaine it didn't hurt. The extraction was loud. Lots of grinding, crunching and a bit of sawing. At one point I felt a strong pinch on the lower left and managed to moan, "It hurts." I was immediately given more Novocaine. None of that, "it's almost over" or "just hang on" B.S. They really cared about pain management.
When they took the needle out of my hand (which was even less painful than when it went in) and took the nitrous oxide mask off, I came out of it. I've never been high, but I imagine that's what it felt like. They had me stay laying down for about five minutes, then helped me up. My mouth was full of gauze and was completely dry. Walking to the car was a bit of a challenge. My legs were wobbly and I felt very groggy. I was extremely out of it on the way home.
On the way home we picked up three perscriptions: amoxicillin (an antibiotic to stave off infection), ibuprofen (to keep swelling down and also for mild pain relief) and Vicodin (for agony relief). I changed the gauze, ate some pudding, and took the amoxicillin and the ibuprofen. The dental assistant told me to wait before I took the Vicodin because I might not need it.
An hour later I was in agony. I took the Vicodin and laid down, and about an hour later it kicked in. I still had mild pain, but it was bearable. The Vicodin made me drowsy and dizzy, but it didn't make me nauseous, which was a plus.
I've been eating yogurt, pudding and drinking Swanson chicken broth. It is so tasty. You can drink this broth right out of the carton - it is that good.
Because of how wide they have to stretch your mouth, the corners of your mouth can dry out and crack. As soon as I got home, I put lip balm on the corners and I've been keeping up with it every fifteen minutes. It seems to be doing the trick - no cracking, only some soreness.
So all in all it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be by far. I was a wreck waiting for today, but pretty much all of my fears were unfounded. No pain during the procedure, proper medication for pain management and a very nice staff and skilled dentist made this experience one of the least stressful in my life.
I got to keep two of my teeth. The others were all chopped up.
In summation:
- Have soft foods without particles or solid bits in them to hand: yogurt (without fruit chunks), pudding (not rice or tapioca), bottled or homemade smoothies and broth.
- Take your Vicodin before the Novocaine wears off. Keep up the ibuprofen and the antibiotic.
- Have someone around to bring you your food and meds.
- Use lip balm or vaseline to keep the corners of your mouth moisturized.
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