I think I covered most of the details in my last entry, but will quickly run through it all again now for those who didn't read that far into the last entry.
On Tuesday 14th Jan I went in for dental surgery in Forest Hill. It lasted approx 10-11 hours, during which time I had 19 teeth removed, 13 implants placed, bone and gum grafts, and quite a few stitches. At the end of which two temporary dental bridges were placed on the top and bottom jaws, giving me teeth again. I know that sounds a very strange thing to read, trust me, it feels even stranger writing it or actually living it.
First off, the questions. How many of my own teeth do I have left. Answer 0.
Was I knocked out or sedated for the procedure? No, it was all done under local anaesthetic.
Was it scary / painful. Nope. I was incredibly well looked after throughout. From informing me of what would happen, to what was happening each moment. Constant checks on my comfort, able to pause whenever I felt the need. Distracted most of the time watching beautiful videos on the TV on the ceiling over my head.
I have been asked lots of questions about the whole deal, but the most important one to answer is WHY? And the answer is simple, oral health. I have gone over ths before but just wanted to reiterate, this is not about vanity or looks. The goal here was to have a healthy future proof mouth, and if that came with shiny new teeth and a good smile, so be it.
Anyway, onto the here and now.
It has been about five days now, so I thought I would note down what is happening with me, how things are going and how I feel.
First notable thing is the temporary teeth are 3D printed. It is notable as they are slightly thicker than the final fits will be, so there is a slight sensation of having a full mouth. Of course I have to add that I was missing a lot of rear teeth before, so the feeling of having a mouth full of teeth again is weird on its own. But the thickness is every so slightly noticeable to me. Far from terrible though, so don't think of that as a negative point.
Then of course there are the gums. They have been through a lot and are a little delicate, but again, we are not talking any great levels of discomfort. Tender in places, aware there are some stitches in them, but again, far from what some would expect to be feeling after having that many teeth removed. Like any oral stitch, they are a bit irritating as it feels like you have a persistent hair in your mouth, so your tongue constantly tries to move it. Which causes a bit of soreness.
The soreness from constantly prodding and pushing my gums with my tongue is actually the largest source of discomfort for me, and that is all self inflicted, as I know full well that this is what happens, but can't help myself lol. The other sensation is slight pressure in my jaw. Obviously having recently had lots of metal work screwed into the jaw bones this is hardly a surprise, but something I am aware of. Worth noting here that the sensations I am talking about are nothing a couple of Ibuprofen a day can't take care of.
I am really looking forward to the subsidence of all the sensations, and the gums being fully healed, however I am coping just fine. There has been minimal swelling and no bruising since day 1, so that was a very pleasant surprise for me, as I was genuinely expecting lots more discomfort on all fronts.
My palete is a bit delicate at the moment. If you have ever burnt your mouth with food, you will know the sensation, tender and soft, but soon heals up. That is the process I am in the middle of now.
The other thing to address here is food. With that much going on in your mouth, how do you eat? Well, put simply, right now I don't. I have been on shakes and soup since Tuesday morning now. Making sure I have plenty of protein, lots of fluids, and rinse as much as I can to keep things clean. In that time I have lost over half a stone in weight, and have to say I am happy to be achieving some good from the recovery process. I aim to keep on the reduced calories for as long as I can. I have done this before, with good results. Only difference being is that last time I was not recovering from surgery.
This time around due to the healing, I am unable to keep myself active and busy in the ways I have before, which for my mind is quite testing. Whenever I am faced with a challenge, being active and getting out of my own head always helps. Because it is cold out, and I am a bit low on energy, and maybe a little low mood too (its grey out there!), I am struggling a bit to distract myself as much as I would like to. But I am gonna try my hardest over the coming week.
At the end of next week I go back to work. Which I must say weighed heavy on me for a bit over the past few days. Worried about my speech, and any discomfort I would feel being on the phone all day, I had a few moments where I wondered if I would be able to so soon. But truth be told, I have been speaking "quite well" since the day after surgery, and in general it is improving more and more each day. So in five days time I should be in a much better place, and will address it with work before my return if the need arises.
Right, as you might be able to tell from the stuttered format of this entry, I need some rest, so am gonna go get some. I have consumed a massive 974 calories today, so am ready to recharge. Hopefully in the coming days I can start being a bit more active again, and feel a bit more like myself, but til then, goodnight, and thanks for reading.
I will leave you will a big, over exagurrated smile lol
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