I've shared once before about my lack of healthy adult teeth. Apparently I inherited the teeth and gums of a 90 year old. My gums recede, my teeth break, some are crooked, and it all just sucks.
After the episode of tooth cracking in the fall, the dentist sent me to the periodontist for some treatments. "Treatments" is just another word for pain. They did a more extensive cleaning - a "deep" cleaning - as they called it. And they were really clean after that. But sore.
And I was urged to buy a super duper electronic tooth brush that would help reduce the pockets around my teeth where the gums were receding. And in truth, that did help.
But not enough. It was determined a couple of weeks ago that two spots were just getting worse instead of better. So I would need to undergo two oral surgical procedures where they would cut the gum and go in and clean the tooth all the way down to the root. The first would be on the three rear teeth on the right upper side of my mouth. Osseous surgery, so it said on the orders. Along with guided tissue regeneration. And they will have me back in within a month or so to do the same procedure on the lower right side of my mouth.
But we're not done yet! Oh no, just as an added treat to the first surgery, the x-rays showed bone degeneration around the base of the roots. So a bone replacement graft would be performed while they were in there.
This whole first procedure took place yesterday. Injections, incisions, cleaning, scraping, acid treatment, and bone grafting. Took about an hour. And I was sent home with lots of pain meds, lots of antibiotics, a bunch of weird packing material all around those teeth, and instructions to soak my head in ice packs for the rest of the day.
Thank god for the pain meds! Once the injections wore off, I was really hurting. I managed to get down a bit of soft pasta last night, but mostly I sat with ice packs on my face in a codiene-induced stupor.
Today, a day off from work to recover a bit. Still some pain. Still some bloody drainage (sorry, hope you aren't having a snack!), and my cheek is puffed up like the Pillsbury Dough Boy.
Gee, I just can't wait till the next time.
Riiiiiight.
Sharing thoughts from my corner of the world.
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38 comments:
ow Ow OW!
I am so sorry Em, that sounds just awful! I hope you feel better soon.
OMG! I am a dentalphobe so i am cringing in my seat here. Can't they just put you under for this?
Much sympathy from me.
thats just horrible.. hope the pain eases soon
Owww - sorry you're hurting.
(By the way, I'll have questions for you tonight.)
At least whatever torture they put you through now is monitored and understood, rather than you having your teeth fall out of your mouth. Plus, when I had oral surgery (impacted molars), they gave me some nice pain meds, and it sounds like you're getting some of the same. Hope things don't get worse, but just get better (until next round, anyway). :)
Geez.. that sounds really painful.
oh sweet cracker sandwich, that sucks, but pain meds ... yeah baby, what ever gets you through the nighmare. hope ya feel better soon.
OMG dude,
you just made my whole head hurt.
Get me a bucket of ice water and a vat of pain meds, stat!
I hate dentists! They are scary!!
OHHHHH! Geez, I am so sorry. You made my toes curl in pain. I guess that is what i get to look forward too, as I have some of the same things going on....
Oh oh dearrrrrrr
I HATEEEEEEEEEEE any kind of dentist, dental work, etc.
Goodness I hope you feel better and SOON
I haven't been to a dentist for about 6 years. So far, so good. I take good care of my teeth. Bit anal about it really.
But heaven help me if I needed treatment like yours...I am a total wuss with tooth matters...and terrible with mouth pain.
Well done you for surviving AND for having the werewithall to actually blog it.
OOOOOooooooouch!
Sorry. Sounds painful. I would have to ttell them to do it all at once. Going back might be more than I could manage.
Ugh...I feel for ya. I've had trouble with my teeth for as long as I can remember.
Hope you get well soon!
Ouch much! Geez. Glad you are pulling through. Sounds horrible. Damn evil dentists sticking big huge needles where big huge needles don't need to go! take care of yourself!
OH MAN!! That sucks! Feel better soon!
Gosh, Em I hope you feel better soon. That really sucks. Both of my husbands had really bad teeth issues, I'm glad I didn't share their pain.
Whenever I have a dental procedure done I am always a little bit thankful that I live in this century. The thought of having "dentists" dig around in my mouth back in the middle ages.....*shudder*
ouch..
OOOOUUUUCCCCHHHHH!!!!!!
Get better soon Em!
OOoooooouuuuuuucccchhhh!!!! Dang!!! I'm sorry!!! Wishing you lots of yummy jello & pudding & ice-cream as your mouth recovers, though your Dr would probably scowl & claim that such will land you right back in his/her chair for more work. ;) Or, some good pain pills, which WOULDN'T land you in a dentist chair because of too much sugar. *BWG*
Hope you're feeling better, Em!
For. The. Love. Of. Mr. Thirsty.
What are those people doing to our beloved and most benign Em?
Did you, btw, know that pediatric dentists call that spit machine dealie "Mr. Thirsty"?
Feel better, you.
I hear you, Em. My teeth are not very good, either plus I have a fear of going to the dentists'.
I have just had one of my wisdom teeth removed on 8 May. It caused me fever on the next day as well.
Get well.
Oh! I'm SO sorry! It sounds pretty horrible.
But just think how good you're going to feel when it's all over!
nothing worse then tooth pain. ouch, hope your feeling better soon.
Eeeeyowwwch. You are a brave guy, Em. I hope the end result is worth the pain and suffering (probably will be).
Hope you're feeling better.
Oh, sore teeth. That kills. I use a Waterpik. It sort of power-washes your teeth and gums. Maybe that would help?
Poor you :(
I hate dentists.
They are all sadists with a license.
I do recommend the electric toothbrush. Mine worked wonders for my gums and keeps the dentist away.
I have suffered the pain of an abscess rather than visit the vile clutchs of the tooth grinder.
I was going to bite the fingers off one dentist when I was a teenager, but he saw it in my eyes and put in a strange plastic thing to keep my mouth from closing.
I was soo close to revenge.
TV
So are you on drugs right now? Know where I could score some?
Ouch. Ouch. I just cringe at the whole thought of dental surgery. Hope the pain goes away quickly.
OUCH!!! I have a dentist appt for cleaning next week. I dread the dentist...dread it. Hope it feels better soon & I hope they gave you some killer pain meds!
Dude, my teeth are KILLING me after reading this.
You should just have them all pulled out and start again. Can't they just plant them these days?
And I thought I had trouble with my teeth!
helen
(helen's world)
Yikes, that sounds more like some sort of Medieval torture. Yay for codeine. Hope you're feeling better soon.
geez, that sounds awful. feel better sooon.
Ouch? Should you have had braces as a kid? I was told that if I didn't put braces on my son by the time he was 35 he would have the teeth of an 80 year old.
Needless to say the kid has braces. It's going to cost me $7000 but he'll have great teeth.
em,
i'm usually pretty negative about my body (i could probably do a pretty sadly funny a-z list of things i dislike) but i did get lucky in the strong teeth area. i feel for you!!!!!! nitrous nitrous nitrous.
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