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A short airway

S

Sweetleef

Member
Joined
May 15, 2021
Messages
40
Location
NYC
Hi..this is long sorry...

working on getting my periodontal disease in control, after some extractions including 3 wisdom & 2 molars on the top next to the wisdoms, im currently getting ready for a deep cleaning & scaling my whole mouth in one shot, due to my severe PTSD I can only do this procedure while sedated, after an evaluation the anesthesiologist told me that I have short airways ?? Ive never been told this by any of my medical doctors nor the dental surgeon that extracted my teeth or his anesthesiologist. I dont snore, I dont have sleep apnea, no problem breathing, im very active so im not sure what she saw but I trust that she noticed something . Could this be due to my recent extractions? I read that removing wisdom teeth may cause sinus issues.

I am now im terrified to be sedated, she said that she will go light on the sedation but I will be comfortable and asleep, if I stop breathing she will stop the procedure to wake me or intibate me. wtffff

Has anyone heard of short airways?
 
SHORT airway is an acronym occasionally used by anaesthetists.
S Surgery
H Hematoma, Have Infection (Abscess)
O Obesity
R Radiation
T Trauma, Tumor
Could that be what they meant?

If so it's completely irrelevant to a dental procedure. It relates to a possible difficult intubation. Putting a tube down your trachea to help you breath during a general anaesthetic

Certainly nothing to do with your extractions (and it's news to me that wisdom teeth extractions can cause sinus issues :) )
 
Hi. Thank you for responding.

During the evaluation over the ph she looked at my side profile she said I had a small jaw, something about chin to throat ratio, asked if I get out of breath doing physical activity, do I snore, do I wake up gasping for air. Due to what she sees she will administer light IV sedation, the dental procedure (deep cleaning. Scaling) will take 2 hrs for the whole mouth, if I have trouble breathing she will stop the procedure to wake me and intibate if necessary. I had extractions while sedated back in Feb & March with no problems but it wasnt a 2 hr procedure. The tentative appt is for July 26, I am going to speak with her again and will ask more questions. She scared me..
intibation? ?
 
That doesn't make much sense, if she's wakened you there's no need to intubate... plus if it's light IV sedation then simply getting you to tilt your head back and take some deep breaths would be ample to sort it out. You'll still be perfectly responsive under IV sedation so simply saying "take a couple of deep breaths" would be all the airway management required :)

Doesn't really matter how long the sedation goes on for either in terms of technique.
 
Oh wow thank you so much! You eased my mind, I was considering canceling the appt but I know that this procedure is necessary plus im trying to face my fears. Each dental visit is a conquest

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!
 
No problem. Let us know how you get on, it's good to hear how things go.
 
If they can intubate a premie, (and they do) then short airways are a non issue. It just determines how far down they stick the tube, and an anesthesiologist will visualize where they need to place the tube anyway. I'm suspecting it's more of the acronym mentioned above.
 
After a month of waiting for an appointment I finally have it. My root planning & scraping for my whole mouth will be on Mon 7/26.
I will be under for this, my fear is now with the unknown. I wear a front partial for my front bottom. Will I still be able to wear them after this procedure? I work in an office and I dont want to be seen without them on
im sure there will be discomfort, any suggestions to help that? Will my teeth be very loose after this, will I need more extractions, will I be able to eat & drink. Valid questions spinning in my head.
Im terrified more so because I dont know what to expect. My insurance is finished till 2022, im paying in cash and cant afford anything else done until the new year.
I LOVE this forum, it helped me get to this point. I have posted my success stories and pray that this procedure will be a success too. My dental journey isnt over, I just hope this is it for 2021
.
 
I don't know all the answers, but in response to the fears of things being too loose and noticible on your face, I chose to thank corona. Nobody asks why I'm wearing a mask. They just assume I'm not vaccinated (I am) lol.

Any loose fitting devices can be adjusted too. So just because you start with mask doesn't mean it will be forever.
 
Truth!
I started my dental journey in Dec, I chose to continue forward because of having to wear masks due to the pandemic.
90% of the time I am rational & level headed but ohhhh that 10%. In my head each stressful situation is permanent yet I somehow find my way thru it!
Thank you for your response.:)
 
After a month of waiting for an appointment I finally have it. My root planning & scraping for my whole mouth will be on Mon 7/26.
I will be under for this, my fear is now with the unknown. I wear a front partial for my front bottom. Will I still be able to wear them after this procedure? I work in an office and I dont want to be seen without them on
im sure there will be discomfort, any suggestions to help that? Will my teeth be very loose after this, will I need more extractions, will I be able to eat & drink. Valid questions spinning in my head.
Im terrified more so because I dont know what to expect. My insurance is finished till 2022, im paying in cash and cant afford anything else done until the new year.
I LOVE this forum, it helped me get to this point. I have posted my success stories and pray that this procedure will be a success too. My dental journey isnt over, I just hope this is it for 2021
.

Yes, you can still wear your denture

Shouldn't be too bad afterwards, worst case you'll need something like Ibuprofen, so get some in stock. Your teeth won't be any looser afterwards.

Yes you can eat and drink as soon as you feel like it. Sometimes there's a bit of mild cold/sweet sensitivity after root planing (for reasons I can't be bothered typing out, it's hot here!). Get hold of some sensitive tooth toothpaste in case you need it.

Share your success story afterwards :)
 
Thank you so much for your response. I truly appreciate it so much.

I promise to post my success story ?
 
My procedure went great. No problem with being under, I woke up fine and thankful.
No pain No swelling No need for antibiotics.

Thank you to everyone who reached out to me! ❤
 
LOVE reading posts like that! :)
 
This forum has helped me to find my courage. I am so thankful that I found it.

?
 
Well done you for facing up to your fears and getting through it and thank you for the update.
 
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