It’s 3 A.M.
Morning. Early. Middle of the night, really. I awoke sleeping on my side and I’m trying to force myself to sleep on my back since Monday’s oral surgery. The strange thing? It’s not comfortable sleeping on your side while in your recliner!
My face is swollen, and I’m sure this is normal with this kind of surgery. But the sinus cavities are aching like allergies have hit it. Hard. But when your nose hurts… literally… well, maybe that’s something to think through. In the midst of all of this, I sneezed after letting the cool of chocolate ice cream coat my throat. Scared me for a moment. I just knew I had bust a seam in my upper jaw!
Of course, I’m really tired, and this may all be a dream.
I’ve been blessed with good health, no real major issues, other than a head full of bad teeth. Dad told me that when he finally got into the Air Force he had 17 (??) cavities to fill, because you never went to the dentist living on the farm in East Texas. You just lived with the problems. As a kid, I was with mom and dad when they had all their teeth pulled. I must have been 5 or 6, watching over the younger ones while the moans and groans came from the dentist chair that used no anesthesia. I don’t know how they did it! Definitely a tougher stock of persona back then!
In just 62 years of life, the dental experience has changed dramatically. Today, you can replace a tooth with an Implant! Titanium! Superman Teeth! Of course, you need good jaw bones and my dentist told me that the action of smoking (even enjoying a malt every few hours, sucking on a straw) helps to shrink the bone above and below the lips, and eventually there will be no bone to attach an implant to. Thankful smoking was never a habit I picked up!
So. What woke me up? Dry mouth. That’s not good with the recent surgery. You do not want the stitches or wound to “dry out”. I’m working on hydrating right now, attempting to stay alert long enough so I can crawl back into the sack with a moist palate. Of course, it could be a different medical issue. Xerostomia (zeer-o-STOE-me-uh). This is where the saliva gland does not secret enough saliva to keep the mouth moist. Result? Dry mouth… The internet is full of advice on what you need to do about it.
Who knows? This may be the root of a host of dental issues I’ve had over the years!
It’s been close to an hour. My hydration is coming to a close. It’s about time to slip back down into the recliner and face snooze land, again. I’m glad I have some down time to recover this week!