Wednesday, November 24, 2010

It's Minty Fresh all right . . .

And the dental implant saga continues.

On Monday, the "procedure" had a few bumps.  The digital xray machine wasn't working right.  Instead of two x-rays, I ended up having four.  (GRRRRRR.  I could go the airport if I wanted that kind of radition treatment.)  And the oral surgeon/dentist needed to cut more of my gums than he thought he would, so I have an extra stitch that hangs out of one of my front teeth. I keep forgetting it's there and think--"Oh, something's stuck in my tooth" and have nearly pulled it out twice now.

Luckily, once the Novocaine wore off, it didn't hurt at all.  My face again didn't swell up.  Win-win, huh?
Not exactly.  You have to swish your mouth (for a FULL MINUTE) with a minty-fresh special mouthwash that will kill the germs keep the area free of food debris.  (Take my word for it, that one, full minute seems like about 40 when you're swishing this stuff around.  Suddenly your body goes into I NEED TO SWALLOW mode--only you can't.)

Um, and the taste?  It's minty fresh all right.  But then it leaves a horrible aftertaste that sticks with you for HOURS.  No wonder they have you do it after breakfast and before bed.  It takes HOURS to get rid of that icky metalic taste.  (And, if experience is any guide, I know it really takes pouring the stuff down the sink and never using it again to finally get rid of it.)

Okay, I don't want an infection, so I'm going to keep this up for a while, and then switch to Listerine like I did last time. It tastes bad, too, but it doesn't leave an aftertaste that lasts for hours (and ruins your lunch).

Meanwhile, my tongue has lots to play with.  Metal caps, stitches, raw gums.  Yeah.  Fun!

And how will you be spending today?