Don’t Believe Everything You Read Online

Dental Part 5

I appreciate the irony of that statement. But really, do not go online and start reading what others say the day before your surgery. That is a sure fire way to ramp up anxiety to previously undiscovered heights. Plus my imagination went a little crazy with the idea that I would not be completely under during the surgery. The periodontist said I would be able to hear, respond and talk but would not remember anything. That sounds a little like being conscious, a totally unacceptable state when having bone grafts.

They provide a happy pill the night before surgery to aid in sleep and something similar to take an hour before your appointment time. Not a fan of painkillers and all their friends but I slept and was a bit looped by the time I arrived that morning, a good thing. And it was true, the last thing I remember is the novocain shots and the next thing I remember is an angelic voice quietly saying open more, turn your head, open a bit more. This was at the end of the 2 ½ hr surgery. As I started to come to, they put ice packs on my face. Note to self, when on anesthesia do not attempt to discuss the relative merits or lack thereof of putting ice on swelling. I think all I could manage was, “no ice, no ice”.

Earl picked me up and I honestly have limited recall of the drive home. Of course I wanted a photo immediately after the surgery for this article and to Earl’s amazement, I was sitting in the car taking a selfie. I have no memory of this. As you can see I was not dripping in blood or any other horrible state your imagination might conjure when considering dental surgery. I do have to work on selfie skills however. Why did selfies ever get popular? They are horrible.

And I needed food. Luckily Earl helped with that too. It was a bit of a challenge getting that soup actually in my mouth and staying there.

Here is the amazing thing. While uncomfortable, I experienced no pain. I was giddy with relief. Consider this statement on another periodontist’s website: “The pain after Wilckodontics can be rather pronounced, but everyone’s pain threshold and experience is different. With that in mind, patients who undergo Wilckodontics may notice major issues with pain even if they bite or chew soft food items. It’s for this reason that patients should take all pain relievers as recommended in the early days and weeks after surgery and that they follow their post-surgical instructions to the letter.” Does she moonlight for the drug companies I wonder? At my first follow-up, I told the periodontist that I had no pain and he said all his patients say the same thing, discomfort yes, pain no. Two questions and an observation come to mind. Who would you hire? Why don’t more people do this? And I have been spelling Wilckodontics wrong.