Hi... I finally got my extractions on Tuesday! So this update is a little late.
Kiwi... 7 extractions at once??
He truly is a brave man. Why in the world did he need that many?
So, my story. I got to the dentist's at 6:50am (sigh
). I was his first appointment and therefore got in quickly. He asked me if I wanted to do all 4 at once, or do two and two, or even come in 4 times and get one at each appointment. I asked him his opinion, and he said that two extractions at once hurts twice as much as one, but four at once isn't worse than two. He suggested I get it all over at once, and so I agreed to that!
Then he did the needles... first a swab of numbing cream so I wouldn't feel them as much. Then he did 8 needles, two on each corner of my mouth, but oddly none on the inside of my teeth! They were all on the outside, between my lips and teeth. I'm not too much of a needle person, and I was already nervous, so I started to freak out a little. He decided to give me the laughing gas to calm me down!
Laughing gas: he said it would make me feel drunk, so I guess it affects different people differently, because I was completely alert. I actually was scared it wasn't working! But then when he started to work on my teeth, I realized that I wasn't scared anymore. I totally trusted him. It was a little weird feeling the teeth move! I felt them all wiggling from the inside of my mouth (tounge and roof side) because he hadn't frozen that, and I could feel them leaving the gum, but no pain. I'm glad he did it that way, though, because a friend of mine had freezing done on the roof of her mouth for extractions and said it hurt a lot!
So then I was packed with gauze and sent on my way. He didn't even charge me for the laughing gas! What a guy.
I started having second thoughts, though, afterwards! I just lost 4 perfectly healthy teeth, and I can't ever get them back! I tried to look at the big picture, but it's kind of hard not to mourn a missing part of my body.
So anyway, pain: there has been ALMOST NONE. I am amazed. I took tylenol the first day (normal extra strength), then forgot it when I went to work on the second day, and didn't even bother today. I am fine. My cheeks sting a little when I touch my face, I think some of the needles went in there. Odd how a little needle pinch will still hurt 2.5 days later, and teeth being ripped out by the roots doesn't hurt at all.
I'm having so much trouble brushing... I am terrified of dry socket and so I'm steering clear of the big holes entirely. I know my oral hygiene should be even better at this point, but it's gotten worse because I'm scared to brush there! I rinse with water and salt water though, and kind of rub around with the pipe cleaner brush. QUESTION: how long until they heal over, and how much longer after that until I can treat my mouth completely normally (ie brushing the site as hard as I brush the rest of my mouth)?
I hate my smile now. The gaps on the bottom show if I smile big (they're #4's!) and the tops show too if I laugh really big! This is hidious. How much ugliness must I go through to achieve the pretty?
Oh, and this whole journey has been the best diet I've ever tried. I've already lost 7 pounds. I live on jello and pudding.
