Dental Fun

 

As we were trying to tie up all of the medical loose ends before our good insurance ran out at the end of December (Cobra for $1900/month?  Thankfully we can say no!) the orthodontist said something I definitely didn’t want to hear.  He said that there was an odd shadow on Jared’s most recent xray and that he needed to see a local oral surgeon.  She was kind enough to fit us right in, and concurred that it was something that needed closer examination.  After a fancy xray in Chapel Hill she decided that one of his adult teeth had a cyst around it that at the least would keep the tooth from being able to grow in, and could potentially cause other problems.  We scheduled a little bit of oral surgery for Wednesday December 28th—after Christmas, but before Cindy Lynn & Mahon arrived.  Jared, of course, was thrilled.  (I mean who wouldn’t be?  Oral surgery for Christmas is just what we’re all wishing for!)

It actually went much faster than expected.  I went back when they got him all prepped, and got to see them start him on the laughing gas.  He wasn’t very funny, which was a bummer. 

After they started the laughing gas they started the IV.  She used a technique I’ve never seen before—she sprayed his arm with liquid nitrogen first, and then put in the needle.  He said that it pinched but didn’t seem overly distressed by it.  Then they started the versed for sedation and I went out into the lobby.

I’d taken my computer and a project that I was working on, but much to my surprise the entire process took only 14 minutes!  Then I was called back into the room where they were trying to wake Jared up.  I’d warned them that my kids so far have a 100% track record of coming out of sedation badly.  (Except for perhaps when Jason got his wisdom teeth out—which would have been a blessing since my sister was taking care of him instead of me.)  Without exception, every time they’ve had some kind of surgery they’ve come out of the anesthesia crying.  Everyone was sure that Jared wouldn’t have this problem, but I was right.  He cried.  And cried.  And cried.  For a moment there as the laughing gas was still wearing off he was laughing hysterically and sobbing at the same time, all the while saying “I don’t know why I’m crying, because I’m not sad!”  Between the crying and the fat lip from the shots he looked pretty sad there for a while.

I stood beside him and wiped his tears and patted his head, feeling terrible that he was crying, even though he assured me that he was fine.  I was relieved when he finally asked for his itouch and started playing a game—I figured that at that point he was really ok. 

He didn’t have any problems the rest of the day.  We stopped at the grocery store and got lots of soft things to eat, but by dinner time he was begging for real food and the doctor said to let him eat.  He took a few tylenol and did just fine.  And I think he was happy to get out of going to the talent show at the nursing home!