Monday, November 7, 2011

Force Visit from the Tooth Fairy

In my 27 years of existence, I had never had a fracture, surgery of any kind or hospitalized for even 10 mins. Touch wood...! So it came as a surprise when I came to know that my first ever surgery of any kind would be to extract a tooth. Now I believe tooth ache is the most unbearable pain which one can endure in his/her lifetime, but I never knew that there was something such as a tooth surgery until my dentist suggested I underwent one at the earliest in order to eradicate the pain and the infection on my last molar in the lower left of my teeth structure. I had heard about root canal procedure, extraction etc , but an actual tooth surgery was unheard off till date.

So I prepared my self for 2 weeks for the D-Day which was on 3rd Nov'11. The doctor saw my discomfort and apprehension and bought me to ease straight away saying that the procedure would take only 45 to 50 mins and the entire procedure would be painless.

So we get to work. I switch on the music on my phone and settle my self in the patient's chair as the Doc and her assistants get ready for work as usual. First up an anaesthesia injection in order to numb up the entire area of the surgery. Then started the ordeal. First up a mini driller to drill a hole through the centre in order to break down the tooth since we need to remove it through its roots. Once the drill started its work, if seemed to me as if an F1 car was zooming across inside my mouth. The sound of the drill was more frightening even though I could feel an pain whatsoever and with Lady Gaga and Black eyes Pea for company I was rather enjoying the music as well as the feeling of the F1 engine inside my mouth.

However after 20 minutes of on-off F1 drilling it was time to pull the teeth out. Now this was petrifying because 2 of the assistants held my head as the doc tried her mighty best to pull of the teeth from its well entreched roots. I could here the cracking of the roots and also the force exerted on it by the doc but it just refused to budge. No this was scary since I could see the amount of strength used by 3 women to get one tooth out of my mouth. With the operation light firmly pointed into my mouth and the faces of three masked women glaring into my mouth I couldn't help but think of the irony of having 3 women focus soley on me even if it was for a mere tooth.

So after an ordeal of 40 mins, the lower tooth was drilled, broken and pulled in installments. In the end the entire tooth was ruptured and extracted out in 11-12 bits and pieces. The cavity and the extent of rotting can be comprehended by just seeing that very little of the white calcium of the teeth was visible.

Now came the googly by the doc. Here I was listening to chamak chalo on my phone, and feeling secured within, thinking that I had passed my first surgery with flying colours. at this precise moment the doc asks one of her assistance to get the needle ready for another go. I was taken aback and completely clueless, until the doc comes up with the gem: - ek par ek free. We need to extract the upper molar too, since there is no supporting teeth for the same and it will create complications in the future. So there I was, sitted on the dentist's chair, as the clock read 11.45 am , readying myself for another nerve racking extraction.

Well the second time round, it was less of F! style drilling and more of plucking. I could hear my tooth crackling and been uprooted from its roots. The sound was very similar to when a tree is uprooted from its root.

Finally with both the teeth uprooted the doc finally starts with the stitches. Now I am completed numb and actually sleepy because of the anasthesia and also the ordeal of the last 1 hour. so my reaction was one of absolute disbelief when the doc started stictching the incisions she had done to get the lower molar uprooted.

It is absolutely bizarre to witness oneself getting stiched in side the mouth and getting to feel the thread and the needle through your gums. I have to give it to these docs. They really have steady hands and also the heart to actually put a needle inside someone's mouth and stich it up.

At the end of the day, after 1 hr and 15 mins, the ordeal was over with 2 of my teeth extracted from my gums and my left cheek looking as if I had just come second best after a round with Manny Pacquio.

Well the entire surgery was an experience to cherish and remember for a lifetime. Lets pray and hope that's the only surgery I ever endure.

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