The gum surgery
Friday, March 22nd, 2013 11:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chanaleh
So I had what is generically called a gingival graft, where they remove tissue from the roof of your mouth to graft it onto a receding gumline.
I've got -- well, had -- visibly receding gums on my two lower canines for ages, the left apparently slightly worse than the right. I've figured eventually those pockets would become enough of an issue that it might have to be dealt with. Since moving to New York I of course got a new dentist, who told me at my last visit that they thought it was that time. But what they also told me was that because it's only particularly marked in those two sites, it was probably not due to general tissue recession, but due to my orthodontic work 25 years ago. "See how those two teeth are basically rotated up out of the gum?" "Oh... well, yeah, I guess I have noticed that, I just never thought about why...!"
So they referred me to their periodontist, and today I went in for the procedure, which took about an hour all told.
Supposedly it can be very painful, but the part that hurt the worst was getting the local anaesthetic, to be honest (the shot to the palate being much bigger than the one to the actual gum, I suppose because the more traumatizing operation is coming to the former). I was interested to notice that although I felt emotionally quite calm, my body has a strong anxiety (adrenaline) reaction: flinching, increased heart rate, trembling when the shot was over.
After that, it was mostly hanging out and waiting patiently while they messed around and did stuff in and to my mouth. Being so thoroughly anesthetized actually makes it kind of more weird, because it was like they could be doing anything in there and I wouldn't have a clue... and that led to a variety of idle ruminations on trauma and defense mechanisms, which apparently just goes to show where my brain dithers off to while this sort of thing is going on belowstairs. The suturing was the part that took forever, and I felt like it would have been quite interesting to watch in a mirror, but was just weird watching only the parts that came up into my peripheral vision.
So, no hot liquids for 24 hours (whew --![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
justom's gum surgery a few years ago required abstinence from tea for days and days, but his was a different process), only because it will increase the swelling; no crunchy foods for a few days (the question of matza at the seder 3 nights hence is still up in the air); and antibiotics, and a follow-up visit in 2 weeks to remove any remaining stitches.
Oh, and they also gave me a prescription for Vicodin "just in case", which gives me an oddly powerful feeling, but let's face it, I would have to be damn near immobilized before I thought seriously about filling it.
The pain wasn't actually bad at all the rest of the day -- until just now when I finally tried to eat a little lukewarm bean soup for dinner, and either the swallowing or the salivating seems to have aggravated it. But it's settled down again now. Which is good because I think going to bed early is called for (yes, 11:30pm is early).
Most annoying side effect: Somewhere in the last quarter or so of the process, my nose started to tingle like I was going to have to sneeze, and though I didn't, my nose has now been draining continuously since the minute I got up from the chair (and it's now been 12 hours and counting). I can only assume this is due to inflammation from the palate somehow impinging on my (often temperamental) sinuses, because I swear I didn't have any hint of rhinitis symptoms when I walked in there, and it's only on the left side (like both the surgical sites). Bleah. I really hope that clears up with the swelling in a day or two.
I've got -- well, had -- visibly receding gums on my two lower canines for ages, the left apparently slightly worse than the right. I've figured eventually those pockets would become enough of an issue that it might have to be dealt with. Since moving to New York I of course got a new dentist, who told me at my last visit that they thought it was that time. But what they also told me was that because it's only particularly marked in those two sites, it was probably not due to general tissue recession, but due to my orthodontic work 25 years ago. "See how those two teeth are basically rotated up out of the gum?" "Oh... well, yeah, I guess I have noticed that, I just never thought about why...!"
So they referred me to their periodontist, and today I went in for the procedure, which took about an hour all told.
Supposedly it can be very painful, but the part that hurt the worst was getting the local anaesthetic, to be honest (the shot to the palate being much bigger than the one to the actual gum, I suppose because the more traumatizing operation is coming to the former). I was interested to notice that although I felt emotionally quite calm, my body has a strong anxiety (adrenaline) reaction: flinching, increased heart rate, trembling when the shot was over.
After that, it was mostly hanging out and waiting patiently while they messed around and did stuff in and to my mouth. Being so thoroughly anesthetized actually makes it kind of more weird, because it was like they could be doing anything in there and I wouldn't have a clue... and that led to a variety of idle ruminations on trauma and defense mechanisms, which apparently just goes to show where my brain dithers off to while this sort of thing is going on belowstairs. The suturing was the part that took forever, and I felt like it would have been quite interesting to watch in a mirror, but was just weird watching only the parts that came up into my peripheral vision.
So, no hot liquids for 24 hours (whew --
justom's gum surgery a few years ago required abstinence from tea for days and days, but his was a different process), only because it will increase the swelling; no crunchy foods for a few days (the question of matza at the seder 3 nights hence is still up in the air); and antibiotics, and a follow-up visit in 2 weeks to remove any remaining stitches.Oh, and they also gave me a prescription for Vicodin "just in case", which gives me an oddly powerful feeling, but let's face it, I would have to be damn near immobilized before I thought seriously about filling it.
The pain wasn't actually bad at all the rest of the day -- until just now when I finally tried to eat a little lukewarm bean soup for dinner, and either the swallowing or the salivating seems to have aggravated it. But it's settled down again now. Which is good because I think going to bed early is called for (yes, 11:30pm is early).
Most annoying side effect: Somewhere in the last quarter or so of the process, my nose started to tingle like I was going to have to sneeze, and though I didn't, my nose has now been draining continuously since the minute I got up from the chair (and it's now been 12 hours and counting). I can only assume this is due to inflammation from the palate somehow impinging on my (often temperamental) sinuses, because I swear I didn't have any hint of rhinitis symptoms when I walked in there, and it's only on the left side (like both the surgical sites). Bleah. I really hope that clears up with the swelling in a day or two.