I didn’t know what to expect. The periodontist said the tooth extraction would take a couple minutes. I would be able to drive myself. So I was thinking it was no big deal.
It’s true, pulling out the tooth only took a couple minutes. But the whole process was about 50 minutes. The pain after the anesthesia wore off was quite intense. I wasn’t expecting that.
I am always amazed at medical technology. First, anesthesia is an amazing invention. The shot hurt a lot, I screamed and grip the chair. But it was less than 20 seconds, and then, I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t feel it when he pulled out the tooth, cleaned out the infection, he grafted in some bone, sewed up the wound, made an mold impression of my teeth to make a temporary tooth, and cleaned out all the blood and gross stuff. All this would be unbearable without the invention of anesthesia.
Within the 30 minutes of the drive home, the anesthesia wore off. Pain medication is another amazing invention. I immediately took 3 Advils and within 2 hours, the pain was gone. My headache was gone. The pain at the wound was gone.
The pain came back of course, but I was able to decrease the next dose to 2 Advils, then to 1. I didn’t have to take an Advil 24 hours later.
I am amazed at how God our body to be able to heal. My own bone and flesh will grow to attach the bone graft. Eventually, when the implant is drilled into that bone, my body will adjust to this foreign object as well. Truly amazing.
By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place – Proverbs 3:19