An Unexpected Surgery

(Source: British Dental Journal)

When I woke this morning, I had not the slightlest idea that I’d be having surgery today.

This morning I went for the final part of my physical exam – a dental check-up. Upon inspection the dentist told me that my lower right gum area is inflamed because of a troublesome wisdom tooth and he recommends I have it removed. Being well aware of that dental problems can be the origin of other health problems elsewhere in the body, I decided to go to my own dentist immediately for a second opinion. He took one look at the area and immediately had an X-ray taken and after viewing the little skeletal photograph, he asked when I would like to have the surgery done, and if now would be alright. Since I did not have anything planned for the afternoon, apart for my chiropractic appointment a couple of hours later I decided that now is as good a time as any – lest anticipation cause cowardice.

Because of the position of the tooth it could not be pulled, but had to be surgically removed. A normal tooth is rooted perpendicular to the jaw. This wisdom tooth sat at a forty five degree angle, pushing upward against his neighbour (see above -- "Angular"). To remove it, an incision has to be made into the gum, which is then flapped open, where after the tooth is sawed, grinded, broken and excavated in sections. And like Christine’s experience, it was all done with local anaesthetic. The injection stung a little but in general the local anaesthetic did its job – locally. The pain I experienced was not “locally” but at the opposite side. The dentist had to put so much force on the right side of my jaw in attempts at pulling out the stubborn roots that the juxtaposing force caused the left side of my jaw to dislocate. When he asked me to bite down I couldn’t and had to indicate that the left side of my jaw is dislocated. He promptly put it back in place. I expected the popping-in to be painful, but it wasn’t at all, unlike the popping-out!

(Source: British Dental Journal)

For most of the day I had hardly any pain, but now, in the middle of the night, I’m not so lucky. Such aches always makes me more empathetic with those far worse off than I. A similar painful experience, when I sprained a foot some years back, helped to inspire me to write an essay on happiness.