Approximately 3 hours after my ‘phase one’ surgery on my
wisdom tooth. I turned on the flashlight app in my phone and stared at myself
in the mirror, mouth wide opened. And there I see the hole in my gum. And the
few stitches surrounding it. The hole is still left opened to ease my next
operation at this time next week. I grabbed another tampon and shoved it in,
hoping the bleeding would stop, or my saliva wont get through. And all the while I thought – man today was
serious business.
It seems that I had an infection prior to my surgery on my
nerve areas. It was not detected when the doctor taps my wisdom tooth crown,
nor the neighbouring molar crown. The injection of local anasthetic was not in
fact as painful as I was told. I dont know what is more or less painful, having
inserted the jumbo blood donation needle, or the serum stuck down your gum.
Neither did hurt as much as I initially thought. Reflex though, I cant help but
had my shoulders tensed, squint my eyes, and probably released frightful
expression on my face that the doctor had to reassure me not be as tense. After
a moment, he told my husband to fetch me my phone so I can play games once the
anasthetic kicks in. He reassured us it wont be difficult and that I should
relax. I have to say he’s quite good at this. The humming. The playing game
instructing. The talking to companions. The stories and the want-to-know-you
part. Just what I need to have my mind focused elsewhere rather than on the
pain and the major operation I am under. My doctor calmly waited back in his
seat while talking to my husband, frequently checking on my mouth condition
while I’m getting the hang of playing Monsters Ate My Condo.
Slow but sure, my face starts to numb. It was getting harder
to do mouthwash. After making sure the anasthetic worked and that I did not
feel a thing, he said we shall then start and recited basmallah. Most times I
was closing my eyes, thinking of happy thoughts, my family back home, my hubby there
watching over me, my favorite nephew, me in an interview phase of my
scholarship endeavour sitting in a room full of panelists. All I can remember seeing
once in a while is the metal hook that pulls apart my cheek, the assistant
consistenly using the suction to suck up my mouth water excesses, the doctor
and his cutting knife, an screwdriver liked shaped metal and the noisy drill.
Little did I knew what the drill sounds like on
your teeth. But the sensation it caused me by hearing it. Even it being
stuck on my house wall wouldnt sound as screeching. Some times the sound toned
down to a more low key but still sounded as harsh. Making me ‘think’ this is a
whole other level of my organ that the drill is now on to.
That thought leads back to how the memory of that ache being
tapped by my dentists and the sudden stung it caused. The first time I felt a
tooth ache it was oh so painful. So painful that you intend to damage it yourself.
Since being examined by doctors caused them to tap on hyper sensitive areas,
the memory of such feeling stung on me. And the whole supressing drilling and
constant applying of pressure in my tooth feeds me unnecessary anxieties. Very
stupid over hyperventilating thinkery indeed.
The gum was cut, the tooth was drilled in parts, the tooth
is already wobbly but each time my doctor tried to tip it off of me, I feel an
intense stinging ache from the root of the tooth until what it feels like all the
way along my right cheekbone. I cant help but to ouch, reflex raise my palm to
my cheek, and shed down embarassing tears. Again and again my gum is being injected
by additional anasthetic, and though I was not afraid of it anymore now with
the numbness state I’m already in, right at the moment he tried to tip the
tooth out, the miraculous pain is still indefinitely unbearable.
I am thankful my doctor believes in conducting on what he
called as painless procedure, and is very quick in being decisive. He paused
after a few failed attempt to congkel the tooth and wasnt keen on forcing it
out although I offered him to do it once and for all using full strength in one
swift move. Thus decided to pend my operation since I had fully used the
maximum anasthetic dose with a total of six injections when normal people had
two, and yet I still felt pain. The sting lasted for about a few minutes but I
easily sat up after an hour of (exaggerated) torture. Off my seat walking
towards my husband unrealizing I spilled blood covered saliva on my way since
my mouth is partially self opened.
We sat down together and had the doctor briefed us through.
The what, the how the why. All complete. Very friendly guy who loves to travel
around the world apart from doing his job. I was sorry that he had to do me the
second time again next week. Since I was an anomaly and my wisdom tooth was
very stubborn. But- all in all. It was a very interesting experience. First
time my permanent tooth (should have) gotten pulled out, and it had to be with
surgery. Something ain’t it ?
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