I went to the dentist today.
He looked at the X-rays and poked at my teeth.
"Your upper wisdom teeth are starting to deteriorate" he announced.
"It is probably time to have them pulled."
A date with the Oral Surgeon is booked for the middle of October.
Belladonna had hers pulled when she was 14. For bragging rights, she opted for laughing gas. She suggested that I opt for General Anesthesia.
It will be my first surgery. Ever.
Trust me....general anesthesia.
ReplyDeleteI second that. General Anesthesia
ReplyDeleteI would have said general anesthesia three years ago. I have changed my mind. After two surgeries requiring general anesthesia, I have found a lingering marked deterioration in memory after each event. I recovered about 90-95% each time, but I can definitely tell the difference between before and after with both surgeries. Recently had dental surgery to remove a lower rear molar that had broke off. Did local and took pain meds for a couple of days. No lingering effects. Lost all four wisdom teeth at age 16 under general anesthesia. No problems. I don't recover as well now that I am in my mid 60s.
ReplyDeleteStill don't know why Blogger always triple posts my comments when I only enter them once.
ReplyDeleteNo worries. I fixed it.
DeleteMaybe Blogger thinks you are three times smarter than the average bear.
Don't press the back key, if you do when you finish publishing your comment. I've had that double post and triple post before. I right click on the back button, then skip back to the blog home page. PC not phone tho.
DeleteI've worked in dentistry for over 30 years as an assistant and as a hygienist. When I worked for an oral surgeon we always used IV sedation. It puts you out but not as heavy duty as general anesthesia. I don't know of any oral surgeons that use general unless it is in a hospital setting. Discuss with your oral surgeon.
ReplyDeleteI'm just a little paranoid of GA unless it's major surgery.
DeleteIV sedation was what I had for oral surgery ten years ago at age 58. For all practical purposes it was general anesthesia. I have no recollection at all of what happened between the time I felt a little sleepy and when I woke up being handed a water bottle. Just like I hoped. Recovery was not difficult, I even drove over to his office that afternoon to get the temporary adjusted, and earned a lecture about driving too soon after. Sheesh, it wasn't as if I'd ridden my motorcycle.
DeleteI totally agree with Feral Ferret. Over the years I have seen many examples, from mild to sever, of older friends and family and business acquaintances come out of surgery with memory and other cognitive loss and personality changes not for the better. At your age, and older, don't do it unless there is no choice. It is a real threat.---ken
ReplyDeleteMust be nice!!! Concur on NO GA... It screws you up.
ReplyDeleteFF, Brenda, M.W. CK and Old NFO: Thanks for the feedback.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading what Brenda wrote, I think it must be the IV sedation they are talking about.
Many thanks.
I had all four done when I was 38. It sucked having all of them done at once. Oil pray for you.
ReplyDeleteYer gonna think "I paid someone to do this to me" about day 2.
ReplyDeleteIce packs.
Maybe painkillers.
Don't plan on doing anything terribly productive for about a week.
Mine were removed at 30 and were impacted. They had to break them into pieces. They split my mouth at the corners. I guess I have a small mouth but both feet can fit in there at the same time... kinda wierd. The used a GA but that was back in the early 90's.
ReplyDeleteThat date rape drug they use now leaves me groggy but sentient. It takes a lot of that to turn off my noggin. I'm glad I didn't have to endure the dentist sitting on my chest prying out the pieces.
USN dentist on USS Simon Lake discovered that I still had all 4 and decided on the spot that they needed to go even though they were causing no trouble.
ReplyDeleteAfter enough Novocain to drop a bull he put his knee on my chest and wrestled them all out in about 3 minutes. I've walked away from car wrecks feeling better.
Had 2 out at the VA hospital -the doc used a cold chisel to split them-took a long time to heal. Next 2 were at a dental teaching hospital - much more civilized. Long time ago.
ReplyDeleteI'm very late to this post but have to say, I really appreciate the warnings against getting GA, for future reference.
ReplyDelete