a little over a month ago, i had a ct scan to determine whether or not and how much bone grafting i would need.

tooth implant #1 (and likely #2, as well) is in a spot where my sinus cavity needs bone or whatever to support it. since my previous tooth was a tiny baby tooth, the cavity had been falling sort of inward. this meant that i would not have enough bone to support the necessary post implant for my soon-to-come new tooth. kind of awkward to explain since i only sort of understand it. it sounds scarier than it is, i know now — i had my bone graft yesterday.

my doctor told me that he may not be able to do both the bone graft and post implant in one surgery, which would be regrettable for time and pain and all of that jazz. i just simply might not have enough of my own bone to support the post while the graft heals at the same time. luckily, though, good news in the end — he did both parts of the procedure yesterday! this means i’ll probably be healing for most of the rest of year and maybe get my final tooth sometime in the fall. i have a check-up in two weeks to make sure it’s all healing nicely.

although i thought i’d be knocked out like i was when i had my one wisdom tooth removed, i was simply on a sedative that made me sleepy. i was listening to the whole conversation my doctor and the nurses had about their personal mattress preferences (mixed reviews on the sleep number bed) and opened my eyes a couple times, but otherwise i just chilled. i heard drilling noises, but didn’t feel much pressure or anything else. (i probably could’ve used this sedative when i had my frenectomy a few years ago — i burst into tears towards the end of that procedure. embarassing, but i am good at crying at just about anything.)

afterwards i was wheeled into a little, private recovery room where i laid down and had a fluid drip for about a half hour. it would’ve been a nice time for a nap, but i also kind of just wanted to go home. after making sure to ask about my sweater and toothbrush a few times (i was really nervous about forgetting something), they took out my iv, got me sitting up, then wheeled me out to meet jason, who had pulled his car up. we stopped at walgreens for my prescriptions, then came back to my apartment.

i really like that my doctor called me later in the afternoon to check in on me and remind me to keep putting the ice pack on my face and to drink a lot of fluids.

i came home with four prescriptions: anti-bacterial mouthwash, an antibiotic, special ibuprofen and vicodin. my whole left cheek, including half of my nose, was numb for most of the evening. jason doted on me though he was expecting me to be much more whiny. either my tolerance for pain is high (which i’ve always thought it was), or the drugs are helping to keep me quiet. i mostly just laid around with him all night. we watched “the king’s speech” and “the social network,” leaving only three of the academy award’s best film nominations from this year that we haven’t seen. (i have my doubts that we’ll get around to watching “toy story 3” anytime soon.)

the photo was from last night, before heading to bed. my face looks a little less puffy today, i think, but smiling is still difficult. i’m feeling a bit nervous about over-excising my cheek muscle so near my sinus cavity. it’s probably a good concern to have.

everything considered, this whole experience has (so far) been much easier than i anticipated. i would still rate the tooth-pulling as the worst part, and that’s over pretty quickly!