I went to the oral surgeon yesterday. He didn't pat me on the head like last time. (Does that mean I wasn't a good girl this time? Hmmm) He spent a lot of time fiddling with the plaster mold of my teeth. He'd chip at the model with his knife, then fit the teeth together, then color certain sections with a colored pen. This went on for a while. He looked at my jaw movement again and had me make certain facial expressions. He said , "Mm" and "hmm" a lot. I figured he was an artist at work so I didn't say anything.
He did answer as many of my questions as he could. Here's a summary:
1. How long banded? About 6 weeks
2. Tightly banded and on liquid diet? 3 weeks and then on puree for about another 3 weeks.
3. Ability to talk - possible but not probable with tight bands. I.e. probably not able to give presentations at work for at least 3 weeks. He did say I might be okay to go back to work after 2 weeks if I just sat at my desk. I could us a text-to-speech program to answer questions.
4. Splint or no splint? splint :(
5. Hospital stay? Probably just one night.
6. Followup appointments? Once a week for the first few weeks.
7. Drugs? He told me he'd send me home with a "bunch of stuff". He said that would include something for pain, something for nausea, and an antibacterial mouthwash. I assume I also get an antibiotic.
8. Sinus rinses? He said it was okay but that I might not want to for a few days as my nose is liable to be irritated from the nasal tube in the hospital.
9. Changes in appearance? He told me I "might" see an improvement in my appearance but to give it time as many people have swelling for months afterward. He also said it might take months or forever for certain areas to retain their feeling.
He actually told me that I could eat anything that I could dribble into my mouth - even purees. He said that although the front teeth are tight, there would be a space between my molars that the food could go through. He said, "Getting food past your lips might be the challenging part".
I know people worry about getting stuff stuck in the splint and their braces. He said, "You'll have lots of stuff stuck but the antibacterial mouthwash will blast all the bacteria so it won't be a problem". Sounds nasty just the same.
I'm hoping I don't have a full fledged panic attack in recovery. He told me, "You will wake up. Your face will feel weirdly numb. You won't be able to open your mouth at all. You will also feel the splint and likely a tube down your nose. Your head will be wrapped in ice packs". I guess they can always stick something "special" in my IV line if I start to freak out.
My oral surgeon was so calm through the whole appointment. He strikes me as someone who would calmly say, "Oh look. We've hit an artery. How interesting". I don't want him saying this but I imagine that's how he would sound.
I just about passed out at his office. It wasn't from the information...it was from my surgery bill. I knew it was coming but it still made me dizzy. Here we have to pay the bill up front. In the olden days, they probably had to hunt people down, break their jaw again and steal back their teeth if they didn't pay. This way is likely easier.
That reminds me of a story I heard on the news. A woman had breast implants and her husband paid for them. When they divorced, he wanted visitation. If my husband and I ever split (hopefully not!), would he retain shares in my teeth? Are they a marital asset?
My husband said last night, "I don't know why you have to do this anyway. I think you should just leave your teeth alone. You look fine". ACK!!! Did he miss the part where I've been having joint pain and headaches? Did I not show him the reports from 3 separate orthodontists and two dentists? Obviously, he was watching the lips move but had the sound turned off.
I told him I needed him to put on his supportive husband face and say things like, "Everything will be okay. You're doing great. Your head is much, much smaller than a pumpkin". He found a text-to-speech app for his phone and spent the evening sending messages like, "Your head is smaller than a pumpkin but your butt is much bigger" and "Everything will be okay...I had the doctor put something special in your IV".
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