Work And Teeth
Shit, I could have SWORN I hit "restore from saved draft".
First off: Sorry I haven't been around much. We have mandatory overtime at work and I basically worked the equivalent of 6 days instead of my usual 5, plus 4 and a half hours today before I ran out of work. (NOT COOL GAIZ.) I've been too tired to feel like being fun on the Internet. :\ I am reading along at home, though. I had a couple of episodes where I was dizzy and had serious concerns about fainting at the wheel after an 11-12 hour day, so had to jump off the wagon a couple of nights last week; I've started packing extra food in case I need something to eat, and trail mix is my new best friend. (It's pretty much the only thing I can eat from the vending machines, and if I go to the Fresh Market and get some, there's a little less sugar in the dried fruit, so all the better.)
Oh, and despite being told when I called the main security office that my employee badge should get me into the building, IT DIDN'T. I had to get a security guard to let me in; fortunately, the guards at our building are pretty nice, and it helps that we all see each other every day, so they know me and know that I work there. I sent an e-mail to request access, though, so hopefully we won't have this problem next week.
Anyway, after work today, I came home and slept for five hours and that was the best thing ever.
Also, I had the much-dreaded consultation with the oral surgeon on Thursday.
+ Dr Oral Surgeon met or exceeded expectations by not being an asshole. This is a pleasant surprise, I can't even tell you how much. In fact, he was really nice, very respectful of my wishes, and very thorough about telling me what he proposed to do in my mouth and making sure I understood what the risks were.
+ My upper left wisdom tooth definitely needs to go. It is broken, which I knew because I remember it breaking. What I did not know, because I can't see that far back in my own mouth, is that the nerve is exposed and I'm courting an abscess if it stays in there for much longer. DNW DNW DNW. D:
+ My lower left needs to come out as well--it's either trapping food or decayed or both (Dr Oral Surgeon said he could see that it was darker in color than my other teeth but couldn't tell what the nature of the discoloration was because it's so far back and not completely erupted; I said my dentist thought it was decayed). It too will be coming out.
+ Because most people have their teeth out in their teens or early twenties, and I'm not most people, there is a slim chance that I may experience some nerve damage in my jaw ("slim" as in "a 2 or 3 percent chance"); however, Dr Oral Surgeon thinks that if that were to happen, it's likely that it would only be temporary and I would likely regain sensation within a year if not sooner. Since it's not likely to happen in the first place, and any time you poke around in people's mouths you risk nerve damage, I'm not too worried about this happening.
+ My right wisdom teeth, as it turns out, have not yet erupted; I said I thought I could feel my upper right, and Dr Oral Surgeon said he saw nothing down there at all, and that what I was feeling was likely my back molar. Since, at this point, they're unlikely to erupt, I'm not touching them. If they make the attempt later, or if my dentist feels they're compromised or problematic, I'll give Dr Oral Surgeon a call. I'm aware that there's a risk of cysts forming (or, to use an Australian technical term that augustuscaesar introduced me to, FLAMING INFECTIONS OF DOOM), but this happens to less than 5% of people with intact wisdom teeth, so I'm not overly worried.
+ I won't be sedated. I told Dr Oral Surgeon that my insurance won't pay for it (figuring the discussion would be over at that point), and he said that since we're dealing with impactions and an exposed nerves, he could likely make a case for medical necessity. At that point, I said I appreciated his willingness to do that, but that I would not consent to sedation since I'm afraid of it and there's really nothing that could be done to get me to NOT be afraid of it. He said, "Sure, I can do this with nitrous," and went on to explain what that would entail. They may have to move the mask a few times to get in where they need to go, but I figure I probably won't notice or care if nitrous does what it's supposed to do, and I'd rather put up with any annoyance than run the risks associated with sedation. What really impressed me was that sedation was never brought up again--he didn't try to explain to me how it would work, ask if I was sure, or talk me into sedation, in sharp contrast to some Teeth Assholes I have known whose attitude was I HAVE SPENT MY LIFE SAVINGS ON THIS EQUIPMENT AND NEED TO AMORTIZE IT. YOUR WISHES ARE INCONVENIENT AND SO ARE PATIENT CONSENT REGULATIONS.
+ My mouth is pretty small; Dr Oral Surgeon thinks it's pretty ambitious to try and get both the teeth in one go, but the upper left will definitely be coming out. After that, we'll see how I'm feeling and go back in for the lower left. (I'm assuming I won't be feeling much of anything, since they'll be giving me a local anaesthetic in addition to nitrous.) My mouth is small and doesn't stretch a whole lot, so we run the risk of a cut lip (as you do, when surgical instruments are near your mouth) or a facial bruise. But, you know, that's temporary.
+ The whole thing will run me $703, which is to be paid out of pocket (my insurance will reimburse me). I actually HAVE $703, it won't destroy my savings, and this is a refreshingly low amount; I'd thought it was going to be a lot higher.
And that's it, I'm going to bed.
First off: Sorry I haven't been around much. We have mandatory overtime at work and I basically worked the equivalent of 6 days instead of my usual 5, plus 4 and a half hours today before I ran out of work. (NOT COOL GAIZ.) I've been too tired to feel like being fun on the Internet. :\ I am reading along at home, though. I had a couple of episodes where I was dizzy and had serious concerns about fainting at the wheel after an 11-12 hour day, so had to jump off the wagon a couple of nights last week; I've started packing extra food in case I need something to eat, and trail mix is my new best friend. (It's pretty much the only thing I can eat from the vending machines, and if I go to the Fresh Market and get some, there's a little less sugar in the dried fruit, so all the better.)
Oh, and despite being told when I called the main security office that my employee badge should get me into the building, IT DIDN'T. I had to get a security guard to let me in; fortunately, the guards at our building are pretty nice, and it helps that we all see each other every day, so they know me and know that I work there. I sent an e-mail to request access, though, so hopefully we won't have this problem next week.
Anyway, after work today, I came home and slept for five hours and that was the best thing ever.
Also, I had the much-dreaded consultation with the oral surgeon on Thursday.
+ Dr Oral Surgeon met or exceeded expectations by not being an asshole. This is a pleasant surprise, I can't even tell you how much. In fact, he was really nice, very respectful of my wishes, and very thorough about telling me what he proposed to do in my mouth and making sure I understood what the risks were.
+ My upper left wisdom tooth definitely needs to go. It is broken, which I knew because I remember it breaking. What I did not know, because I can't see that far back in my own mouth, is that the nerve is exposed and I'm courting an abscess if it stays in there for much longer. DNW DNW DNW. D:
+ My lower left needs to come out as well--it's either trapping food or decayed or both (Dr Oral Surgeon said he could see that it was darker in color than my other teeth but couldn't tell what the nature of the discoloration was because it's so far back and not completely erupted; I said my dentist thought it was decayed). It too will be coming out.
+ Because most people have their teeth out in their teens or early twenties, and I'm not most people, there is a slim chance that I may experience some nerve damage in my jaw ("slim" as in "a 2 or 3 percent chance"); however, Dr Oral Surgeon thinks that if that were to happen, it's likely that it would only be temporary and I would likely regain sensation within a year if not sooner. Since it's not likely to happen in the first place, and any time you poke around in people's mouths you risk nerve damage, I'm not too worried about this happening.
+ My right wisdom teeth, as it turns out, have not yet erupted; I said I thought I could feel my upper right, and Dr Oral Surgeon said he saw nothing down there at all, and that what I was feeling was likely my back molar. Since, at this point, they're unlikely to erupt, I'm not touching them. If they make the attempt later, or if my dentist feels they're compromised or problematic, I'll give Dr Oral Surgeon a call. I'm aware that there's a risk of cysts forming (or, to use an Australian technical term that augustuscaesar introduced me to, FLAMING INFECTIONS OF DOOM), but this happens to less than 5% of people with intact wisdom teeth, so I'm not overly worried.
+ I won't be sedated. I told Dr Oral Surgeon that my insurance won't pay for it (figuring the discussion would be over at that point), and he said that since we're dealing with impactions and an exposed nerves, he could likely make a case for medical necessity. At that point, I said I appreciated his willingness to do that, but that I would not consent to sedation since I'm afraid of it and there's really nothing that could be done to get me to NOT be afraid of it. He said, "Sure, I can do this with nitrous," and went on to explain what that would entail. They may have to move the mask a few times to get in where they need to go, but I figure I probably won't notice or care if nitrous does what it's supposed to do, and I'd rather put up with any annoyance than run the risks associated with sedation. What really impressed me was that sedation was never brought up again--he didn't try to explain to me how it would work, ask if I was sure, or talk me into sedation, in sharp contrast to some Teeth Assholes I have known whose attitude was I HAVE SPENT MY LIFE SAVINGS ON THIS EQUIPMENT AND NEED TO AMORTIZE IT. YOUR WISHES ARE INCONVENIENT AND SO ARE PATIENT CONSENT REGULATIONS.
+ My mouth is pretty small; Dr Oral Surgeon thinks it's pretty ambitious to try and get both the teeth in one go, but the upper left will definitely be coming out. After that, we'll see how I'm feeling and go back in for the lower left. (I'm assuming I won't be feeling much of anything, since they'll be giving me a local anaesthetic in addition to nitrous.) My mouth is small and doesn't stretch a whole lot, so we run the risk of a cut lip (as you do, when surgical instruments are near your mouth) or a facial bruise. But, you know, that's temporary.
+ The whole thing will run me $703, which is to be paid out of pocket (my insurance will reimburse me). I actually HAVE $703, it won't destroy my savings, and this is a refreshingly low amount; I'd thought it was going to be a lot higher.
And that's it, I'm going to bed.