Tuesday was the surgery and it went well according to the doctors. One of my teeth did have to come out though, one next to my gap, but not the middle tooth. The tooth had no bone so the bone graft wouldn't have set there. I'm not terribly surprised though. As I recall, and mom confirmed this. The tooth didn't grow in itself. A hole had to be cut into my gums and a bracket from the braces attached to pull the tooth down. Owell, it was an ugly tooth anyway.
There was one complication during the surgery though, with anesthesia. When they put the tube in my nose it hit my pharyngeal flap and got stuck. The doctor couldn't see the tube and called in the ENT to scope me. He saw some trauma to the pharyngeal flap, but not damage. They had to intubate me through the mouth and I have a sore throat from it.
Some wacky observations:
I remember being moved from one table to a stretcher after surgery
I was in very little pain for the first few hours after surgery
I'm not in nearly as much pain as last time and that makes a big difference
I'm not very swollen in the face, though that has gotten worse over time.
Well I have lots more to say, but I'm tired so it will have to wait until later.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
I can now touch the roof of my mouth
On Friday I went to Dr. F and had the palate expander taken out. I cannot tell you how happy that made me! The roof of my mouth was so soft and tender, it felt so good to be able to touch it again.
Taking the palate expander out wasn't an easy feat for Dr. F, though it seemed to go fairly smoothly. It did hurt me though, not so much the teeth that held the palate expander, but Dr. F kept leaning on my front tooth that always hurts and really hurt after having the wire taken out. I actually had to complain about it, and I usually don't complain unless something really hurts.
Dr. F gave me the option of having my fake tooth put back in, but I would have to come back on Monday afternoon to have it taken out again. I decided to save myself the trouble of going back on Monday and go without the tooth, I didn't have any real plans this weekend anyway where I would have felt funny without the tooth. I did ask if it would be back in by the time I went away in September and Dr. F sounded sure it would be. I do have to wait until Dr. S gives the ok for that though.
After taking out the palate expander Dr. F put new bracket rings on the teeth that were holding the palate expander. One of those rings feels a little off, I'm not sure if it's the way it sits on the tooth that it feels funny or if it's just hitting my teeth differently making it feel like it's off.
Since Friday my teeth have been quite sore on the top, especially my two front teeth. When they take the wire out my teeth always feel a little sore and loose, like the teeth are just sorda floating within in the bone and aren't really solid in the bone. It makes me wonder how different the damon braces system is to the old way and if part of it has to do with them keeping your teeth from setting into the bones, making them easier and quicker to move.
On another note, last weekend the chain that was moving my tooth on the bottom right fell off and I ate it. I only noticed when I was eating and the tooth felt funny, I looked and the chain was gone. Grrrr. Of course it was a Saturday afternoon and the office was closed. By Sunday morning the tooth had moved back totally. Grrrr. Dr. F did not replace the chain on the last visit.
Surgery is Tuesday!
Taking the palate expander out wasn't an easy feat for Dr. F, though it seemed to go fairly smoothly. It did hurt me though, not so much the teeth that held the palate expander, but Dr. F kept leaning on my front tooth that always hurts and really hurt after having the wire taken out. I actually had to complain about it, and I usually don't complain unless something really hurts.
Dr. F gave me the option of having my fake tooth put back in, but I would have to come back on Monday afternoon to have it taken out again. I decided to save myself the trouble of going back on Monday and go without the tooth, I didn't have any real plans this weekend anyway where I would have felt funny without the tooth. I did ask if it would be back in by the time I went away in September and Dr. F sounded sure it would be. I do have to wait until Dr. S gives the ok for that though.
After taking out the palate expander Dr. F put new bracket rings on the teeth that were holding the palate expander. One of those rings feels a little off, I'm not sure if it's the way it sits on the tooth that it feels funny or if it's just hitting my teeth differently making it feel like it's off.
Since Friday my teeth have been quite sore on the top, especially my two front teeth. When they take the wire out my teeth always feel a little sore and loose, like the teeth are just sorda floating within in the bone and aren't really solid in the bone. It makes me wonder how different the damon braces system is to the old way and if part of it has to do with them keeping your teeth from setting into the bones, making them easier and quicker to move.
On another note, last weekend the chain that was moving my tooth on the bottom right fell off and I ate it. I only noticed when I was eating and the tooth felt funny, I looked and the chain was gone. Grrrr. Of course it was a Saturday afternoon and the office was closed. By Sunday morning the tooth had moved back totally. Grrrr. Dr. F did not replace the chain on the last visit.
Surgery is Tuesday!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Pre-Operative Stuffs
On Tuesday I went to Dr. S for my pre-op visit. He outlined my surgery in too much goory detail and we discussed drugs.
Here is how the bone graft works - he doesn't actually put bone in my gap, he puts bone where the teeth should go and bone promoting protein in the gap. At least that was how I understood it. He'll cut the skin the the hole and then stitch it back together to make a base for the sinuses and a roof to the mough. Then he went into the bone graft part and I only got so far as him cutting open my gums in the front of my mouth and lifting them up. I'm guessing then he puts in the bone, but I had heard enough. He'll take a piece of bone from my left tibia and then my leg will hurt and I'll be hobbling around for a week to 2 weeks.
Dangers - biggest concern is infection and banging my leg and breaking it before it heals. ACK!
Recuperation - I have an overnight reservation at the hospital. I'm wondering if I can get an email confirmation of it so I can add it to my tripit app on my iphone. Then I'll be on clears for the first and second day and after that soft foods until I see him again 8 days after surgery.
Wednesday I went for some pre-op stuff at the hospital, the usual stuff - blood work, a million questions on your medical history and pre-surgical instructions. The Physician's Assistant I had this time was a million times better then last time, she didn't even screw up my paperwork!
Here is how the bone graft works - he doesn't actually put bone in my gap, he puts bone where the teeth should go and bone promoting protein in the gap. At least that was how I understood it. He'll cut the skin the the hole and then stitch it back together to make a base for the sinuses and a roof to the mough. Then he went into the bone graft part and I only got so far as him cutting open my gums in the front of my mouth and lifting them up. I'm guessing then he puts in the bone, but I had heard enough. He'll take a piece of bone from my left tibia and then my leg will hurt and I'll be hobbling around for a week to 2 weeks.
Dangers - biggest concern is infection and banging my leg and breaking it before it heals. ACK!
Recuperation - I have an overnight reservation at the hospital. I'm wondering if I can get an email confirmation of it so I can add it to my tripit app on my iphone. Then I'll be on clears for the first and second day and after that soft foods until I see him again 8 days after surgery.
Wednesday I went for some pre-op stuff at the hospital, the usual stuff - blood work, a million questions on your medical history and pre-surgical instructions. The Physician's Assistant I had this time was a million times better then last time, she didn't even screw up my paperwork!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Another painful experience
Last week I was back at Dr. F's office and left feeling slightly irritated...
Apparently my wire on the top shifted a bit and had to be moved back. Also, he did fix the wire that was attached to the palate expander, I think I left him wondering how I did that. Also, one of the girls put a shorter chain on the lower right tooth that they've been trying to rotate. It has hurt a fair bit since then so I think the tooth might have actually moved. Looking at it though sometime I think it did move, other times I don't think so.
We also had a conversation about my surgery on the 27th, he's not sure how Dr. S wants to handle it. Then he started to almost think out loud to me about how they usually wait 5-6 months from the time the palate expander finishes expanding - that would acutally be Aug 17. This is the first I've heard the wait time this way. I was originally told by Dr. F 4-6 months and the same by Dr. S, no one added in the rest about after the palate expander finishes expanding. This irritated me quite a bit since it was 3 weeks before my surgery and he decides to bring it up then. At this point I'm pretty much committed mentally to July 27th. But once or twice Dr. S has made comments about Dr. F being conservative, which fits well with my perception of him. But at this point I'm sticking with the July 27th date. My theory is that if the surgeon thinks this is enough time then it probably is. If it was an orthodontic issue then I would defer to the orthodontist.
Two other things that I have thought of/ noticed since that visit. The numbness in my gums has gone away on the right side of my mouth. I'm still dumb a bit on the left side, but being as the tooth on the left side of the cleft hurts I know that the area there isn't still numb. The other thing I thought is that when Dr. F gets me ready for the surgery he's probably going to take the wire out of my braces and it probably wont go back in for a few weeks. My fake tooth is held in with the wires. 3 weeks after the surgery I'm going away with the family for a few days, I can deal with a gap for that trip. However, in the middle of September I'm going away on a 2 week tour and I do not want to have a gap there. I feel funny meeting new people and having to explain the lack of tooth, but even worse is that every picture from that trip will have me missing a tooth and that will drive me crazy for the rest of my life.
Apparently my wire on the top shifted a bit and had to be moved back. Also, he did fix the wire that was attached to the palate expander, I think I left him wondering how I did that. Also, one of the girls put a shorter chain on the lower right tooth that they've been trying to rotate. It has hurt a fair bit since then so I think the tooth might have actually moved. Looking at it though sometime I think it did move, other times I don't think so.
We also had a conversation about my surgery on the 27th, he's not sure how Dr. S wants to handle it. Then he started to almost think out loud to me about how they usually wait 5-6 months from the time the palate expander finishes expanding - that would acutally be Aug 17. This is the first I've heard the wait time this way. I was originally told by Dr. F 4-6 months and the same by Dr. S, no one added in the rest about after the palate expander finishes expanding. This irritated me quite a bit since it was 3 weeks before my surgery and he decides to bring it up then. At this point I'm pretty much committed mentally to July 27th. But once or twice Dr. S has made comments about Dr. F being conservative, which fits well with my perception of him. But at this point I'm sticking with the July 27th date. My theory is that if the surgeon thinks this is enough time then it probably is. If it was an orthodontic issue then I would defer to the orthodontist.
Two other things that I have thought of/ noticed since that visit. The numbness in my gums has gone away on the right side of my mouth. I'm still dumb a bit on the left side, but being as the tooth on the left side of the cleft hurts I know that the area there isn't still numb. The other thing I thought is that when Dr. F gets me ready for the surgery he's probably going to take the wire out of my braces and it probably wont go back in for a few weeks. My fake tooth is held in with the wires. 3 weeks after the surgery I'm going away with the family for a few days, I can deal with a gap for that trip. However, in the middle of September I'm going away on a 2 week tour and I do not want to have a gap there. I feel funny meeting new people and having to explain the lack of tooth, but even worse is that every picture from that trip will have me missing a tooth and that will drive me crazy for the rest of my life.
Monday, July 5, 2010
I think I broke something and my tongue is paying the price
At some point today I noticed something felt different about my palate expander. Towards the front of my mouth there was more metal, like something was out of place. There is a piece on it that does move around a little bit so I initially thought it was that. But it wasn't moving and it was hurting my tongue when I would talk.
Giving it some thought I remembered that Dr. F had used some wire to tie it off and hold it in place, I wondered if it was the wire from that. Which left the question of how that happened and what to do with it. But I couldn't see inside my mouth to even look.
I went to my parents house for dinner and Mom looked but didn't see anything, though she's not known for her vision. So I went to the neighbors house since the husband is a dentist. He looked and from what he said the wire used to tie off the palate expander had shifted. He seems mildly concerned that it could brake off and I could swallow it, but otherwise thought I would be ok until Wednesday when Dr. F is back in the office and I have my appointment.
Is nothing easy?
Giving it some thought I remembered that Dr. F had used some wire to tie it off and hold it in place, I wondered if it was the wire from that. Which left the question of how that happened and what to do with it. But I couldn't see inside my mouth to even look.
I went to my parents house for dinner and Mom looked but didn't see anything, though she's not known for her vision. So I went to the neighbors house since the husband is a dentist. He looked and from what he said the wire used to tie off the palate expander had shifted. He seems mildly concerned that it could brake off and I could swallow it, but otherwise thought I would be ok until Wednesday when Dr. F is back in the office and I have my appointment.
Is nothing easy?
Sunday, July 4, 2010
When novacaine goes bad.
A few weeks ago I went to LF to get 2 small cavities filled. I'm not a fan of the drill, but it's always been more of a nusance then anything else. But this time I was having an anxiety attack. My heart rate went up, my hands started shaking and that drill was driving me crazy! I felt so silly about it that I didn't even say anything. I hate the drill, but not this much, or so I thought. I managed to survive the encounter and the cavities were filled.
Later on that night I was thinking and realized I had the same reaction last time, at the time I thought I was just a little emotional since I was starting this whole process with my teeth, but I certainly didn't feel that way this time. I checked Google - apparently there has been a recent change in novacaine and the newer stuff now has epinephrine in it and I'm not the only one to have had a reaction like this. The "new" novacaine lasts longer, which is good if you can tolerate the epinephrine. If not then it seems you have the choice of valium or different novacaine. I spoke to LF and she's going to give me different novacaine next time.
Sorry it took so long to post this, but nothing is really new with my teeth at the moment - they're all still there but not doing much at the moment. I do see Dr. F this week and my surgery is in 3 and a half weeks.
Later on that night I was thinking and realized I had the same reaction last time, at the time I thought I was just a little emotional since I was starting this whole process with my teeth, but I certainly didn't feel that way this time. I checked Google - apparently there has been a recent change in novacaine and the newer stuff now has epinephrine in it and I'm not the only one to have had a reaction like this. The "new" novacaine lasts longer, which is good if you can tolerate the epinephrine. If not then it seems you have the choice of valium or different novacaine. I spoke to LF and she's going to give me different novacaine next time.
Sorry it took so long to post this, but nothing is really new with my teeth at the moment - they're all still there but not doing much at the moment. I do see Dr. F this week and my surgery is in 3 and a half weeks.
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