Oral Surgery
Today was step 2 in my 3 step dental ordeal – the crown lengthening. The procedure was painless after the doctor filled me up with lidocane. I never had so many shots to numb the area, but they did do the job. The Doc had no bedside manner at all. He and his assistant chatted about the holidays while he worked on me. He said I didn't want to know what he was doing. They even covered my eyes with a cloth so I couldn’t see. He would periodically interrupt his banter to tell me to turn my head – but I didn’t realize he was talking to me and not his assistant – so he had to repeat the instructions a lot. He also didn’t say how it was going or how much work was left. I got as much feedback as a practice dummy would get. Apparently he did good work, but I didn’t like his style.
So now I have a bandage on the area they worked – it looks like silly putty. The periodontal post-surgical instructions are interesting.
1. Avoid physical activity, exercise, TALKING or other vigorous activity for 24 hours.
2. Do nothing that causes sudden strain for the first 24 hours.
3. Go home immediately and sit or lie in a slightly reclined position with your head elevated. (Once again the recliner to the rescue!) DO NOT LIE FLAT!
4. Do not use heat for 24 hours.
5. No hot drinks - don’t drink from a straw, warm but not hot soup is acceptable.
6. For the next seven days eat only very soft foods that require no chewing or biting.
There is a lot more, but those are the high points. I stopped on the way home and got a lot of soft food - yougurt, apple sauce, eggs, pudding, cottage cheese and jello. We still have some ice cream from the holiday but now I have an excuse to get more when that's gone.
It’s 10 PM now and my mouth is a little sore but not bad. I assume the pain medication is doing its job (I’m on Vicadin, Dr. House’s pain medication of choice). I’ll find out for sure how I am doing at 3 AM when it wears off.
Update: I didn't post this last night (no wi-fi card in the laptop) so I can update how the night went. The tooth is sore but no swelling has occurred. It's uncomfortable but not unbearable. So it is going well. I’m supposed to do very little today – I think I can handle that.
Today was step 2 in my 3 step dental ordeal – the crown lengthening. The procedure was painless after the doctor filled me up with lidocane. I never had so many shots to numb the area, but they did do the job. The Doc had no bedside manner at all. He and his assistant chatted about the holidays while he worked on me. He said I didn't want to know what he was doing. They even covered my eyes with a cloth so I couldn’t see. He would periodically interrupt his banter to tell me to turn my head – but I didn’t realize he was talking to me and not his assistant – so he had to repeat the instructions a lot. He also didn’t say how it was going or how much work was left. I got as much feedback as a practice dummy would get. Apparently he did good work, but I didn’t like his style.
So now I have a bandage on the area they worked – it looks like silly putty. The periodontal post-surgical instructions are interesting.
1. Avoid physical activity, exercise, TALKING or other vigorous activity for 24 hours.
2. Do nothing that causes sudden strain for the first 24 hours.
3. Go home immediately and sit or lie in a slightly reclined position with your head elevated. (Once again the recliner to the rescue!) DO NOT LIE FLAT!
4. Do not use heat for 24 hours.
5. No hot drinks - don’t drink from a straw, warm but not hot soup is acceptable.
6. For the next seven days eat only very soft foods that require no chewing or biting.
There is a lot more, but those are the high points. I stopped on the way home and got a lot of soft food - yougurt, apple sauce, eggs, pudding, cottage cheese and jello. We still have some ice cream from the holiday but now I have an excuse to get more when that's gone.
It’s 10 PM now and my mouth is a little sore but not bad. I assume the pain medication is doing its job (I’m on Vicadin, Dr. House’s pain medication of choice). I’ll find out for sure how I am doing at 3 AM when it wears off.
Update: I didn't post this last night (no wi-fi card in the laptop) so I can update how the night went. The tooth is sore but no swelling has occurred. It's uncomfortable but not unbearable. So it is going well. I’m supposed to do very little today – I think I can handle that.
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