Tonight I’m laying on the couch watching Beach Front Bargain Hunt, dreaming of a beach vacation and trying not to think about the pain from a dental procedure this afternoon.
I was blessed/cursed (not sure which one) with two missing permanent teeth. That means I held on to my baby teeth for over 40 years! My left right baby had been bothering me for quite a long time. But, I was in a “watch and see” mode with my dentist. There was very little root structure left on the tooth, but as long as it wasn’t causing pain, we weren’t taking action.
In December, the tooth pain got to an almost intolerable level of discomfort, and I have pretty high pain tolerance. I was able to get into a new dentist, who was recommended by my sister, since my insurance changed and my life long dentist didn’t accept my plan. During the appointment, the dentist confirmed that the tooth was hanging on by a thread and that I could have just pulled it myself. Believe me, I was tempted to if I couldn’t get an appointment. I definitely didn’t want to go through the holidays not being able to enjoy all the delicious foods!
Once the tooth was extracted, the next step was the implant placement a few months later. Last week, I was scheduled for that appointment. Unfortunately, the imaging machine they use to print the model for the procedure had malfunctioned and I had to be rescheduled.
Fast forward to today, I had the implant procedure done. The whole procedure took about and hour. Thanks to great antithesis application, I didn’t feel any pain, just tugging and pulling. However, my jaw was aching being open so long! It took several hours for the numbness to wear off and talking and drinking were quite difficult. I felt like I kept tripping over my tongue!
For dinner, I had pre planned a Panera inspired dinner. One of my Lenten sacrifices is cut back/eliminate ordering or dining out. (I am a DoorDash addict!). So instead of actual Bread Co, like we still call it here where it was established, I made an at home Frontega Chicken panini. It was spot on, albeit a little spicy because I didn’t listen to the recipe advice and put the spicy chipotle mayo on both sides of the bread. I would have preferred actual focaccia bread, but my Walmart Neighborhood Market (a.k.a. where I order and pick up my groceries) doesn’t carry it. Instead I used ciabatta bread, which I’ve had before at Bread Co when they needed to substitute. I even dusted off my panini press to really make it authentic. As a side, I heated up Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup that I had gotten from my grocery store order. It definitely did the trick and tasted pretty much just like the restaurant. It was also soothing to my mouth as by dinner time the numbness had worn off and some pain was starting to surface.
After dinner, I made a quick run to CVS to pick up the prescribed amoxicillin. There’s no infection, but taking the precautionary antibiotics to prevent. I also downed the next round of ibuprofen to try to edge out the pain.
Now, let’s be honest here. The pain is not excruciating. It’s more throbbing and soreness in the gum and jaw. But I’ve had enough babies and surgeries to know to stay up on my pain meds, even before the pain starts.
Which speaking of pain meds, it’s almost that time for another dose…and a small glass is wine. The wine is purely medicinal as well.
XOXO
0 comments:
Post a Comment