my gnarly gums:
when the anesthesia began to wear off:
the swelling commenced:
and continued:
the bruise emerged below:
and spread above:
the calm after the storm:
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
bruised and all
this was taken in the middle of the surgery, during my bathroom break!
my gnarly gums:
when the anesthesia began to wear off:
the swelling commenced:
and continued:
the bruise emerged below:
and spread above:
the calm after the storm:
my gnarly gums:
when the anesthesia began to wear off:
the swelling commenced:
and continued:
the bruise emerged below:
and spread above:
the calm after the storm:
Sunday, August 2, 2009
sleep and more sleep
after 3 days and nights of sleep, and more sleep, mixed in with a couple of movies, book reading and soft foods, i am feeling much much better. the swelling, while still noticeable, does not, at least, make me look like a human monkey!
p.s. i can pull most of my hair back into a ponytail! say what?!? i think all that sleeping has induced a growth spurt!
p.s. i can pull most of my hair back into a ponytail! say what?!? i think all that sleeping has induced a growth spurt!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
how i lost my teeth, the first time
four years of contact sports and the worst injury i endured was a sprained ankle. i played soccer, lacrosse and ran hurdles during indoor track. then, during my last year of high school, instead of running track, my friend gina and i decided to do something completely out of the blue, we decided to try out for cheerleading. yes. cheerleading. gina went on to cheerlead at her university, i quit the squad a month later to sing and act in the high school musical, guys and dolls. my mother was distraught.
it'd be more glamorous of me to say that i lost my teeth while doing a triple somersault or backflip from the top of a pyramid, but really, what happened was i fell. plain and simple. i fell, actually, during try-outs. while doing a pivot turn. i know, i know. a pivot turn?!? my hands were clasped behind my back and when i turned, my feet slipped out from underneath me and i had no reaction time to put my hands out in front of me. essentially, my teeth broke my fall. literally.
instead of my nose, cheek or chin breaking my fall, my teeth were the first to hit the surface of that cold cafeteria floor. it happened so quickly that all i remember is sitting up and wondering what happened. then, when i looked by my hand, what i saw frightened and shocked me. i saw half of my front tooth on the ground. i picked it up and used my tongue to survey the damages inside my mouth. yep. that was definitely half of my front tooth in my hand.
once the other girls realized what had happened, they began to squeal around me and i remember the coach telling everyone to calm down and give me room. i was in shock, and gina took me with my half tooth in my hand to the local dentist, who coincidentally, was another cheerleader's father. what are the chances, i tell you, what are the chances?!?
once in the dentist's chair, i was informed that my front tooth and the tooth next to it on the right (no. 8 + 7) were both loosened by the impact and the nerve endings were exposed. not a good thing. i was confronted with choices. my parents had insurance, but they didn't have dental insurance which severely limited my options, financially. i could've either had root canals or have my teeth extracted and wear what is affectionately known as a "flipper," a retainer with fake teeth attached. i opted for the cheaper option, and for ten years have worn a flipper. it served me well and many people had no idea that i had two fake teeth. i performed many a great party tricks and loved the shocked look on people's faces when i exposed my gums.
but, what i didn't love was that i had to worry about eating too hard of foods (no apples, no taffy, or caramel and certainly no corn on the cob!) and also, it did hinder my nights out, only slightly. i wore my flipper during the day, but, at night, it has to be removed. sleeping with the flipper in my mouth would serve as a host to other dental hygiene problems, bacteria and other gross stuff. and even though i was fine to pull out the ole flipper among friends, i was a bit more hesitant with romantic interests. and i happily found out that those who love you care not what teeth are missing.
now you may be wondering, why did i wait so long to get implants?
honestly, i was not fully aware of the consequences that time would have on my bone loss. i think that if i were more cognizant of the damages, i would've opted for implants much much sooner.
so, after my first round of oral surgery in high school, i walked around for two weeks with no front teeth. i didn't mind it so much. it was a fact of life. you do what you do because it is what it is. my sister was incredibly generous and helpful during that time, feeding me peach yogurt and other such soft mushy foods. this second time around, i'm back on that soft mushy foods diet. thank you yogurt, rice porridge, and chicken soup.
it'd be more glamorous of me to say that i lost my teeth while doing a triple somersault or backflip from the top of a pyramid, but really, what happened was i fell. plain and simple. i fell, actually, during try-outs. while doing a pivot turn. i know, i know. a pivot turn?!? my hands were clasped behind my back and when i turned, my feet slipped out from underneath me and i had no reaction time to put my hands out in front of me. essentially, my teeth broke my fall. literally.
instead of my nose, cheek or chin breaking my fall, my teeth were the first to hit the surface of that cold cafeteria floor. it happened so quickly that all i remember is sitting up and wondering what happened. then, when i looked by my hand, what i saw frightened and shocked me. i saw half of my front tooth on the ground. i picked it up and used my tongue to survey the damages inside my mouth. yep. that was definitely half of my front tooth in my hand.
once the other girls realized what had happened, they began to squeal around me and i remember the coach telling everyone to calm down and give me room. i was in shock, and gina took me with my half tooth in my hand to the local dentist, who coincidentally, was another cheerleader's father. what are the chances, i tell you, what are the chances?!?
once in the dentist's chair, i was informed that my front tooth and the tooth next to it on the right (no. 8 + 7) were both loosened by the impact and the nerve endings were exposed. not a good thing. i was confronted with choices. my parents had insurance, but they didn't have dental insurance which severely limited my options, financially. i could've either had root canals or have my teeth extracted and wear what is affectionately known as a "flipper," a retainer with fake teeth attached. i opted for the cheaper option, and for ten years have worn a flipper. it served me well and many people had no idea that i had two fake teeth. i performed many a great party tricks and loved the shocked look on people's faces when i exposed my gums.
but, what i didn't love was that i had to worry about eating too hard of foods (no apples, no taffy, or caramel and certainly no corn on the cob!) and also, it did hinder my nights out, only slightly. i wore my flipper during the day, but, at night, it has to be removed. sleeping with the flipper in my mouth would serve as a host to other dental hygiene problems, bacteria and other gross stuff. and even though i was fine to pull out the ole flipper among friends, i was a bit more hesitant with romantic interests. and i happily found out that those who love you care not what teeth are missing.
now you may be wondering, why did i wait so long to get implants?
honestly, i was not fully aware of the consequences that time would have on my bone loss. i think that if i were more cognizant of the damages, i would've opted for implants much much sooner.
so, after my first round of oral surgery in high school, i walked around for two weeks with no front teeth. i didn't mind it so much. it was a fact of life. you do what you do because it is what it is. my sister was incredibly generous and helpful during that time, feeding me peach yogurt and other such soft mushy foods. this second time around, i'm back on that soft mushy foods diet. thank you yogurt, rice porridge, and chicken soup.
the big blue
i was curious to see how my gums were doing, so i lifted my big fat ass swollen upper lip with my finger--yes, it's that swollen that i can't even move my lip without assistance!--and what do i find?!?! and incredibly gnarly bruise on the under side of my lip. it's an intense shade of blue and purple. this bruise just may rival the bruise i got when i fractured my arm laying out for a frisbee in college. i. am. badass.
the aftermath
what comes after surgery is sometimes worse than the surgery itself. in an unfortunate set of miscommunication foibles, i walked out of the dentist's office without my prescription for painkiller meds.
3-4 hours later i was writhing in pain and called the dentist's office to see if i could take tylenol. it was then that i found out that i should've been given a prescription! here's what happened: the receptionist gave me my ice pack, two containers of mouth rinse and a sheet with post-op directions. she then left the office and the dentist went over the post-op follow up instructions. when i paid for the first installment of my implants, a nurse--not the receptionist--helped me and i think she thought that the dentist or receptionist gave me my prescription. i think the dentist thought the nurse or receptionist gave me the prescription and the receptionist probably thought that the dentist gave me my prescription. sweet jesus, how many people does it take to administer a prescription? apparently, more than three.
when i came home, i tried to take a nap but the pain was so intense that i couldn't even sleep. and believe me, i can sleep! and i have a pretty high threshold for pain, but this was really testing my limits. you can imagine my shock when the receptionist told me that i should've been given a prescription--wtf?!?!?--and thankfully, fax machines quickly sorted the fiasco all out. thank GOD.
by the time i got home to take my meds, i was crying. it wasn't a long journey, the pharmacy is just down the street. but still, DAMN! i just got my fuckin bone hammered and drilled. painkillers are essential. relief came almost immediately and then, i fell asleep.
my upper lip is mad swollen, as is the right side of my face. i like to say i look a bit like a human monkey. i've pretty much been sleeping and watching movies for the past two days. good thing i have two more days to sleep, watch movies and recover. the swelling has gone down a bit, even though i look like i've botoxed the shit out of my upper lip--believe me, it's not attractive. look for yourself:
3-4 hours later i was writhing in pain and called the dentist's office to see if i could take tylenol. it was then that i found out that i should've been given a prescription! here's what happened: the receptionist gave me my ice pack, two containers of mouth rinse and a sheet with post-op directions. she then left the office and the dentist went over the post-op follow up instructions. when i paid for the first installment of my implants, a nurse--not the receptionist--helped me and i think she thought that the dentist or receptionist gave me my prescription. i think the dentist thought the nurse or receptionist gave me the prescription and the receptionist probably thought that the dentist gave me my prescription. sweet jesus, how many people does it take to administer a prescription? apparently, more than three.
when i came home, i tried to take a nap but the pain was so intense that i couldn't even sleep. and believe me, i can sleep! and i have a pretty high threshold for pain, but this was really testing my limits. you can imagine my shock when the receptionist told me that i should've been given a prescription--wtf?!?!?--and thankfully, fax machines quickly sorted the fiasco all out. thank GOD.
by the time i got home to take my meds, i was crying. it wasn't a long journey, the pharmacy is just down the street. but still, DAMN! i just got my fuckin bone hammered and drilled. painkillers are essential. relief came almost immediately and then, i fell asleep.
my upper lip is mad swollen, as is the right side of my face. i like to say i look a bit like a human monkey. i've pretty much been sleeping and watching movies for the past two days. good thing i have two more days to sleep, watch movies and recover. the swelling has gone down a bit, even though i look like i've botoxed the shit out of my upper lip--believe me, it's not attractive. look for yourself:
Friday, July 31, 2009
my operation story
just after i was given my first round of anesthesia, when my upper lip and even the area below my nose felt numb, my dentist gave me a run down of the implant procedure. i was told that i would hear some hammering but not to worry, that that was standard procedure. oh great, they're going to effin hammer my bone. but since i knew that i would hear drilling, i guess hammering wasn't too unrelated.
all drugged up with my paper smock around my neck and a cloth hair cap over my head--would the proper name be a surgical cap?--i was ushered into the operating room. there were bright lights and lots of tools i had never seen before. all very surgical! after i sat in the chair, they placed a green smock, in two parts, over my entire body. the first part covered my stomach and legs, the second part covered my face to my stomach. yes. they covered my face. and there was a hole allotted for my nose and mouth. at first, i thought, am i okay with this? am i okay with not being able to see everything that they're going to be doing? and then i realized that yes, this was probably better than actually being able to see all the blood gushing out of my gums and going into the suction tube. besides, the sounds i heard were pretty disturbing and disgusting enough on their own.
with my eyes covered, my other senses, taste, touch and definitely sound were on high alert. the first part of the procedure was to open up my gums so they could expose the bone. with my gums completely numb, i couldn't feel a thing, but based on what my dentist told me, i could imagine what was happening. after they cut me up and could assess my bone loss, which was significant, they began to expand my bone. how does one's bone get expanded? with hammering. in order for my bone to support the titanium rods that were to be drilled in my mouth, there needed to be a sufficient amount of bone, but since mine was so thin, they had to stretch it out. they literally hammered into the middle of my bone to expand from the inside out.
when my dentist was hammering into my bone, it sounded like he was hammering my remaining teeth away, which, of course he wasn't, but hey! that's what it sounded like! NASTY! it didn't hurt, but the sound was definitely jarring. and then that's when the drilling began. when you drill into bone, you have to do it at a consistent speed so as to not burn the bone--this is why water is important. while my dentist was drilling, water was being sprayed simultaneously to keep it cool. and then, after the holes were made, the titanium rods were put in their places. my front tooth's rod was placed in straight, but because of my bone loss, my tooth no.7's rod was placed at an angle. then, my dentist did a bone graft to supplement my existing bone and stitched me up. the entire surgery took just about 2 and 1/2 hours, 3 rounds of anesthesia, a bathroom break, and 2 x-rays.
what comes after is a world of pain and some incredible swelling action.
all drugged up with my paper smock around my neck and a cloth hair cap over my head--would the proper name be a surgical cap?--i was ushered into the operating room. there were bright lights and lots of tools i had never seen before. all very surgical! after i sat in the chair, they placed a green smock, in two parts, over my entire body. the first part covered my stomach and legs, the second part covered my face to my stomach. yes. they covered my face. and there was a hole allotted for my nose and mouth. at first, i thought, am i okay with this? am i okay with not being able to see everything that they're going to be doing? and then i realized that yes, this was probably better than actually being able to see all the blood gushing out of my gums and going into the suction tube. besides, the sounds i heard were pretty disturbing and disgusting enough on their own.
with my eyes covered, my other senses, taste, touch and definitely sound were on high alert. the first part of the procedure was to open up my gums so they could expose the bone. with my gums completely numb, i couldn't feel a thing, but based on what my dentist told me, i could imagine what was happening. after they cut me up and could assess my bone loss, which was significant, they began to expand my bone. how does one's bone get expanded? with hammering. in order for my bone to support the titanium rods that were to be drilled in my mouth, there needed to be a sufficient amount of bone, but since mine was so thin, they had to stretch it out. they literally hammered into the middle of my bone to expand from the inside out.
when my dentist was hammering into my bone, it sounded like he was hammering my remaining teeth away, which, of course he wasn't, but hey! that's what it sounded like! NASTY! it didn't hurt, but the sound was definitely jarring. and then that's when the drilling began. when you drill into bone, you have to do it at a consistent speed so as to not burn the bone--this is why water is important. while my dentist was drilling, water was being sprayed simultaneously to keep it cool. and then, after the holes were made, the titanium rods were put in their places. my front tooth's rod was placed in straight, but because of my bone loss, my tooth no.7's rod was placed at an angle. then, my dentist did a bone graft to supplement my existing bone and stitched me up. the entire surgery took just about 2 and 1/2 hours, 3 rounds of anesthesia, a bathroom break, and 2 x-rays.
what comes after is a world of pain and some incredible swelling action.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
post-op
trying to eat even a cup of yogurt after surgery is a difficult task. i'm home. and the anesthesia is starting to wear off, exposing the depth of pain that it previously masked. it's not a sharp, sudden pain, but more of the gradual yet continuously increasing ever present sort of pain. i going to take a much-needed nap now, more soon.
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