• Dental Phobia Support

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Periodontal surgery and more required

As if the thought of grafting gum tissue isn't scary enough, I'm just worried the roof of my mouth is never going to be the same again.

Have you thought about the fact that your mouth will actually be better than it has been in a long time?

Having any sort of procedure that you've never had done before is never insignificant. None of us would ever tell you that what you're going through is insignificant. In fact, we all understand how scary it is to have any sort of procedure done - especially one you've never had done before. However, when your brain starts trying to tell you how awful things are going to be, remind yourself that your brain tried to tell you that the procedures you've had thus far were going to be horrible and look at how well you came through all of that!

Nope, I have complete faith in your ability to handle all of this with flying colours...we all do. :grouphug:
 
I know it's insignificant compared to other surgical procedures. I'm just not a seasoned pro at this kind of thing and don't know anyone personally who has experienced gum surgery.

Thanks for the optimism. My anxiety is getting the better of me at the moment and it's difficult to think rationally. I really want this over with more than anything.

Sorry if I phrased it badly - I would be scared in your shoes as well as I said and it is ok to be scared before any procedure because there are always unknown factors at play and aspects beyond our control which for many people is what is scary about any medical or dental procedure.
I hope you are able to tell your periodontist how you feel on the day - don't try to hide your feelings....I'm sure they will be expecting you to be slightly apprehensive at the very least and that they will chat to you and help put you at ease. It is as much a part of their job to help you relax so they can treat you as it is to do the treatment,if you see what I mean. The onus is on them to make it easy for you not nice versa. If you feel tearful on the day...that's ok too...letting it out helps a lot in my experience.

I have read up on gum surgery and most people report it not being as unpleasant as they expected. You should expect the procedure to be painfree and to have soreness to cope with when eating while healing but pain meds can head this off as well. :grouphug:
 
I am undergoing periodontal and bone graft surgery too. I am having it done in all four quadrants of my mouth, they have done two so far and I go back Friday for the third. I have a wonderful periodontist that has made it much easier but so far it has not been near as bad as I anticipated. There is some soreness afterwards and no chewing on that side of your mouth. My stitches come out after 7 days. After the procedure they put periodontal bandages over the area of your gums that they did the surgery on. It's kinda like pink wax. That keeps food and everything from getting down in the area. But this last time with me the bandage fell off and it doesn't seem to have done any harm. My advice to you is to get the periodontist to give you 10 mg of valium and take it a hour before your appt. Have someone drive you. Then ask for the nitrous oxide. It really does help. So far I haven't had to take anything stronger than ibuprophen for the pain and that only the day of the surgery when my mouth wakes up.
 
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I am undergoing periodontal and bone graft surgery too. I am having it done in all four quadrants of my mouth, they have done two so far and I go back Friday for the third. I have a wonderful periodontist that has made it much easier but so far it has not been near as bad as I anticipated. There is some soreness afterwards and no chewing on that side of your mouth. My stitches come out after 7 days. After the procedure they put periodontal bandages over the area of your gums that they did the surgery on. It's kinda like pink wax. That keeps food and everything from getting down in the area. But this last time with me the bandage fell off and it doesn't seem to have done any harm. My advice to you is to get the periodontist to give you 10 mg of valium and take it a hour before your appt. Have someone drive you. Then ask for the nitrous oxide. It really does help. So far I haven't had to take anything stronger than ibuprophen for the pain and that only the day of the surgery when my mouth wakes up.

Thanks for replying to my post. I'm so glad to finally hear from someone going through periodontal treatment. I have three surgical procedures to be done, the first of which is also this Friday. The first one I am getting is the subepitelial tissue graft in which gum tissue is taken from the roof of the mouth.

If I may ask you a few questions:

1) How long before you were able to eat normally again?

2) My doctor will be prescribing me with antibiotics and a mouth rinse. How long did you have to take antibiotics for after the surgery? I'm not a fan of antibiotics, but I realize this is necessary for proper healing.

3) As for after gum surgery, did you miss any time from work? I'm having this done on a Friday and hope to return to work on Monday as scheduled.

Thanks again for replying and sharing this information with me. It sure does help! Wishing you the very best with your surgery this Friday and a speedy recovery.
 
I agree with cindy on the nitrous and valium combo....the chair starts to feel like a bed as you are half asleep and feeling extremely relaxed:cloud9::cheers:

Hope everything goes well for you friday:hug2:
 
I haven't had any tissue grafts so I can't be much help with that, I am having the osseous flap surgery and bone grafts. I haven't had anything that would keep me out of work, even if I had been scheduled for work the next day but like you, I'm doing it on Friday. I can't eat on the side of my mouth that has stitches and they are staying in for 7 days. But this week I keep forgetting and chewing on the side that was operated on. I'm taking 100mg of doxycycline once a day for 21 days. I don't like antibiotics either but so far they haven't bothered me. But honestly, it hasn't been that bad so far but I'm sure I will still be a basket case Thursday night before my appt. Hope I haven't jinxed myself by saying it's not so awful!
One thing I have really noticed. My mouth tastes so much better. I had no idea I had such an awful taste in my mouth all the time until it went away.
 
Sorry if I phrased it badly - I would be scared in your shoes as well as I said and it is ok to be scared before any procedure because there are always unknown factors at play and aspects beyond our control which for many people is what is scary about any medical or dental procedure.
I hope you are able to tell your periodontist how you feel on the day - don't try to hide your feelings....I'm sure they will be expecting you to be slightly apprehensive at the very least and that they will chat to you and help put you at ease. It is as much a part of their job to help you relax so they can treat you as it is to do the treatment,if you see what I mean. The onus is on them to make it easy for you not nice versa. If you feel tearful on the day...that's ok too...letting it out helps a lot in my experience.

I have read up on gum surgery and most people report it not being as unpleasant as they expected. You should expect the procedure to be painfree and to have soreness to cope with when eating while healing but pain meds can head this off as well. :grouphug:

Brit,

I didn't take any offense to your comments. On the contrary, I understand what you've been trying to express to me.

As for tomorrows surgery, I doubt that I will hide my feelings. Right about now I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve. As for after the surgery, I don't plan on leaving his office without a pain relief medication.
 
I haven't had any tissue grafts so I can't be much help with that, I am having the osseous flap surgery and bone grafts. I haven't had anything that would keep me out of work, even if I had been scheduled for work the next day but like you, I'm doing it on Friday. I can't eat on the side of my mouth that has stitches and they are staying in for 7 days. But this week I keep forgetting and chewing on the side that was operated on. I'm taking 100mg of doxycycline once a day for 21 days. I don't like antibiotics either but so far they haven't bothered me. But honestly, it hasn't been that bad so far but I'm sure I will still be a basket case Thursday night before my appt. Hope I haven't jinxed myself by saying it's not so awful!
One thing I have really noticed. My mouth tastes so much better. I had no idea I had such an awful taste in my mouth all the time until it went away.

Hi Cindy,

Sounds like your periodontal experiences haven't been all that bad. I realize we're getting different periodontal treatments aside from a bone graft that I will be getting later this year. After Friday's surgery, two more will await me.

From what the doctor has told me, tomorrow is going to be the worst of the three being that he will be taking the gum tissue from the roof of my mouth. Eating is going to be quite a challenge for me I suspect since I will have stitches on the roof of my mouth and on the right side where the tissue is being grafted.

I can imagine how easy it is to forget and chew on the wrong side of your mouth. Three weeks of antibiotics...yikes! At least they haven't bothered you.

When you say that your mouth tastes better, do you mean it tastes better since the surgery? Should I expect a yucky taste in my mouth right after surgery?

Thanks again for your replies. I really appreciate the firsthand knowledge and honesty you've been sharing with me. I'm wishing you the best with your surgery tomorrow and hoping it goes every bit as smoothly as your previous periodontal work.
 
I agree with cindy on the nitrous and valium combo....the chair starts to feel like a bed as you are half asleep and feeling extremely relaxed:cloud9::cheers:

Hope everything goes well for you friday:hug2:

I won't be getting a nitrous and valium cocktail, but have confirmed with the doctor's office that I will be getting halcion. I've never had this before, but they told me it will keep me calm. Crossing my fingers just in case.
 
Heres a link to the page about halcion and valium and other related pills.

I made it big so you didnt miss my hyperlink:p
 
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Please know I'll be thinking about you tomorrow and saying a prayer that all goes well. I'm sure it will, but it's hard thinking about it. Like I said, the fear of the procedure is ALWAYS worse than the actual procedure. Good luck, and let us know how well you do.
Peace,
Susan
 
Good luck tomorrow. I hope it works out ok for you. Anticipation is usually much worse than the actual event. I also have my 3rd surgery tomorrow..
No, what I meant about my mouth tasting better is I think my gums were so infected they were making my mouth taste awful. Now it doesn't and I have really noticed. Guess I was just so used to the yucky taste.
Again, good luck. You will be fine and if tomorrow is the worst one it's good to get that over with first.
 
Heres a link to the page about halcion and valium and other related pills.

I made it big so you didnt miss my hyperlink:p

Thanks for the link! That information was invaluable since halcion was something completely unfamiliar to me. I'm hoping that between the halcion and anesthesia all will be cool today. My surgery is at 3:30 today Pacific time.
 
Please know I'll be thinking about you tomorrow and saying a prayer that all goes well. I'm sure it will, but it's hard thinking about it. Like I said, the fear of the procedure is ALWAYS worse than the actual procedure. Good luck, and let us know how well you do.
Peace,
Susan

Thanks so much Susan. I really appreciate your kind and considerate words. The fear of this surgery today has been consuming me all week. I've been having difficulty sleeping, inability to concentrate at work, and sick to my stomach today. Difficult or not, I'm hoping the worst part will be over after today.
 
I just had Halcion last week for all my extensive work; also nitrous oxide. My dentist crushed the pill and put it under my tongue, had a second dose as one was not enough. I hardly remember anything; hope it works as well for you.
 
Good luck today. We'll be thinking about you. Just think, in a few hours it will all be over. You can do this. :grouphug:
 
Thanks so much Susan. I really appreciate your kind and considerate words. The fear of this surgery today has been consuming me all week. I've been having difficulty sleeping, inability to concentrate at work, and sick to my stomach today. Difficult or not, I'm hoping the worst part will be over after today.

The worst part WILL be over today, and tonight you're going to feel AMAZING. I'll be praying for starting at 3:30 PT. I hope you feel the prayers...
Peace,
Susan
 
I'm glad I'm not too late to wish you well!! I'm sure that everything will be just fine and will be sending well wishes and positive thoughts to the west coast! :thumbsup:

I'm probably not the only one that is looking forward to hearing how things went. Although others have had different types of periodontal surgery you will be able to give us a first hand account of the tissue grafting procedure. If they numb you properly things shouldn't be uncomfortable and I hope that if you feel they are that you let your dentist know.

Take a few deep breaths and remember that this will all be finished soon! You've done a great job so far and I'm sure this will be no different!!

:cheers:
Pam
 
I'm A little late so very big congrats on going through with the appointment:jump:
 
I just got a call from the periodontal office. The doctor is running late and now my surgery is scheduled for 4:00. The anticipation agony is further prolonged...
 
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