Ehhhh, What's up Dentist?

I don't think I mentioned this before, but I had been suffering from a great deal of pain, in my jaw. It stems from my surgery back in February. When the anesthesiologist "put me under", he must have pushed the tube too hard down my throat. It somehow caused a wound near the back of my molars. This is the only reasonable explanation I can think of, I didn't have this pain before hand. However, it's difficult to prove or to find fault, it was purely accidental.

Anyway, I saw my dentist back in March, but he could only prescribe antibiotics. Surgery was not an option, until my chemo treatments were completed. Well, one of my major fears has always involved teeth. I must have had some kind of traumatic pulled tooth experience as a child, because I always get squeamish whenever cavities, fillings, crownigs are involved. Even the tooth fairy raises my heart rate (he he he).

However, something had to be done. The antibiotics helped, but the pain remained. Not only that, but my discomfort was causing me to alter my speech. I started speaking with a lisp! If I had known anyone that worked for Looney Tunes, I could have applied for the voice of Daffy Duck!

My dentist recommended I meet with an oral surgeon. He believed there was an obstruction with a portion of exposed bone, along the jaw line. This news was not comforting at all. I immediately was expecting the worst. Something like a very painful bone graft. Well, I forged ahead and made an important with the oral surgeon.

My chemo treatments ended, so I was now strong enough to meet with the oral surgeon. He is a very nice and gentle man. Yet, I was still dreading the worst, I was prepared for him to deliver terrible news. Something along the lines of "surgery" or "drilling". Well, he examined the area and informed me that he needs to remove the small protruding bone. However, he told me with a small injection of Novocain, I wouldn't feel a thing. I was thinking to myself "yeah right, a needle going into my gum, doesn't sound painless".

I closed my eyes, dug my fingernails into the arm rests of the dentist chair and opened my mouth. Waiting and waiting for the pain, the surgeon says "all done". I couldn't believe it! Where was the agony? Not only that, I immediately felt the gum pressure disappear. My Daffy Duck impersonation days were over! I was so relieved. This simple and painless procedure completely relieved months of discomfort and distress.

Just goes to show, it's never worth it to anticipate the worst. Anything can happen!