December 2, 2016
Dear Everyone:
Last year, I had an emergency
root canal on a lower left molar.
Last month, during the usual bi-annual dental checkup, the
dentist informed me that the molar in question, which involved a
crown
that supported a
cantilever bridge, would need to be replaced.
At the time I thought, “Uh oh.”
Sure enough, once the existing crown was removed, the dentist determined
that there was not enough tooth left to hold a new crown.
And, like a lot of people my age, I take a medication that could
cause problems with an extraction, so the dentist referred me to a
specialist. On the Plus
Side, the specialist works in the same building as my regular dentist,
so I was able to “hop on over” to their office and get appointments for
both the evaluation and the expected
extraction.
During the evaluation, the Kindly
Oral Surgeon explained that he would
get approval from my cardiologist to suspend taking the medication that,
among other things, prevents my blood from clotting, for a specified
period. Then, after he had
pulled what was left of the tooth in question, he would determine
whether or not it would be beneficial to
implant some bone in its place.
He also gave me some prescriptions to get filled BEFORE the actual
procedure, so they would be readily available afterward.
So I had the pain medication well in hand.
Also a special prescription-strength mouth wash and some
antibiotics.
On the Monday before
Thanksgiving, I reported for extraction.
The Kindly Oral Surgeon gave me enough
Novocain to stop an
elephant. From time to time
he would say something like, “You may hear some crunching sounds, but
it’s nothing to worry about.”
After the tooth was gone, he did decide to pop in some bone to
help hurry along the healing process.
When he started sewing stitches, I knew the procedure was almost
done.
Before I left, they gave me a whole printed sheet of instructions to
follow:
Rinse with salt water four times daily for a week.
Use the special mouth wash twice each day, also for a week.
Take the antibiotics three times per day until they run out.
Avoid hard-to-chew foods and only chew on the RIGHT side for at
least a week or more.
Absolutely NO popcorn for 30 DAYS!!!
It also said to avoid strenuous exercise, including sports and PE for at
least 5-7 days. I assume
these instructions are also handed out to school kids to take to their
Physical Education instructor, thus excusing them from gym class for a
week or two. I have made a
point of not using my own gym, although I continue to do my physical
therapy exercises for my back, since they all involve lying on top of
the bed; not exactly “strenuous”.
Two days later a bruise started to form, first on my chin, where the
Kindly Oral Surgeon held it during the extraction, then further down my
neck. When “Jeannie” saw it
on Thanksgiving Day, her first reaction was:
Looks like a right cross.
But then she looked closer and realized that it was not an impact
bruise.
An impact bruise radiates out from the center.
Remember, we both grew up with three brothers and played a lot of
backyard sports like baseball and tackle football.
And we were both gymnasts in high school.
We know a lot about bruises.
In fact, the bruise has already faded completely.
Thanksgiving was fairly quiet, what with me not being able to eat
anything on one side, and not much else on the other.
“Marshall” came up from
Fresno and we had twice-baked pizza and
Chinese takeout, with everyone heating up what they wanted when they
wanted it. Very casual and
stress-free. The day after,
we had lunch together and checked out the Holiday décor at
Walnut
Creek’s big outdoor shopping extravagance, called
Broadway Plaza.
In all, a nice, quiet time.
By the way, I told my “Phoebe”, my neighbor, fellow
HOA-Board Member,
and sometime movie companion, that I couldn’t eat popcorn for a month.
She was appalled. How
can you watch a movie without eating popcorn?
We’ll find out.
Love, as always,
Pete
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