First round of periodontal therapy

Today I had the periodontal therapy (mentioned in a previous post) performed on one side of my mouth (the other side will be in a couple more weeks). Overall, no big deal!

I had a choice on how I wanted to not experience it, one involving some kind of foam that reduced the procedure to a mild discomfort, or a full anesthetic by injection into my cheek and gums. The trade-off is that with the needle, I won’t have to feel a damn thing. Shooooot… I’ll take a needle in the gums before I feel someone drilling on my teeth!

The most difficult part of the procedure was getting the shot in my jaw, and that really wasn’t as bad as I remembered. The dentist was actually very good. I had three injections, total, of two different anesthetics (I can’t remember the names he called out while asking the hygienist what to hand him): one in each upper and lower gums, and one in the cheek. He started by firmly massaging the areas, and while continuing to massage, performed the injection.

I felt a dull pinch as he performed the injection, and while he was administering each one, he was apologizing and asking me if I was okay. But damn, I had so many tools and fingers in my mouth, all I could muster was a couple of thumbs up. When he was done, I told him jokingly, “Hey, not bad for your first time!” And he chuckled and retorted with a smile, “Yeah, I read up on it on the Internet last night.”

Shortly thereafter, the hygienist popped up and said, “Well, that was the hardest part!”. Well, hot dog! Then she began the procedure, which took about an hour, and the best I could describe is that it was just like getting a cavity worked on. She used the same air drill, but with some kind of different tip, and scrubbed all over the sides of each tooth and down into the gums. I can only imagine what the pain would have been like if I hadn’t been doped up, because she was really workin’ it.

I guess the anesthetic was a little too strong, though, because I started to lose the feeling in my throat half way through. So while she was working away, my mouth would collect the water (which is not uncommon anyway), and when she’d poke the vacuum hose in there, she’d say “Close”, and I ended up sloshing it all over my face and neck. She said “Sorry, not your fault, you can’t feel anything.” Damn right, but now I can feel water on my face! Booo!

When it was all over and I got up to walk to the counter to pay, I could SWEAR my right side was hanging wide open with drool going all over myself. I had to hold my fingers on my cheek and mouth just so I could feel that my face was perfectly fine. The clerk behind the desk had so many questions, and I was talking like I’d had a major stroke, and I was pretty sure I bit my cheek and tongue a few times. I went straight home afterward to let the anesthetic wear off. I didn’t want to go right to work because I knew I’d be talking and injure myself.

But it’s over now, and I’m very happy about it, especially since we did side of my mouth that was the worst. I’ve got the other half of my mouth to do in a few weeks, and I’m not worried at all. Meanwhile, I’ve been VERY religious about rinsing, flossing, and using a mouthwash, and I have cut back from sucking on candies and sipping on cokes all day.

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