Benumbed

The last time I went to the dentist for a routine six-month cleaning she examined my teeth and gums and suggested I schedule a deep cleaning, which involved going below the gum line to remove additional plaque. The procedure is done on one half of the mouth at a time, so I scheduled two appointments-one for the right side and one for the left side. The first appointment was today. 

I didn't realize until I got there that the procedure involved local anesthesia. I guessed that's why there were two appointments; in addition to possible discomfort it wouldn't be a good thing to have both sides of my mouth numb at the same time.

After a little chit chat in the procedure room the dentist and assistant got to work--topical gel where the needle would go, then anesthesia injections in both the top and bottom inside cheek. It didn't take long for both to take effect.

The procedure started with an ultrasonic scaler, followed by a water spray, and then a manual scaler. The assistant wielded the suction tube as needed. Thanks to the numbing none of it hurt, but it was humorous. My lips were so numb that when the assistant asked me to close my mouth so she could suction out water I had to manually move my lower right lip with my hand.

On the way out of the treatment room I asked the dentist how long until things were back to normal. She said the effects of anesthesia typically lasted between two to five hours. On the way home I stopped by Starbucks to treat myself to an iced espresso drink and had trouble making my lips and tongue work to tell the barista my order.

Back at home, I realized that there was no way I could drink without dribbling coffee down the front of my shirt. I got out a straw, but could only use it on the left side of my mouth and if I used my fingers to close my lip around it.

As it got closer to dinner time with only a slight reduction in numbness I took to the internet to see if there were any methods to make the issue go away faster. I learned that I could massage my lips and cheeks, wiggle my jaw, and move my tongue so I spent the next ten minutes massaging and wiggling as fast as I could. 

I don't know if it was psychological or an actual effect of the movement, but shortly before it was time to eat I realized the numbness was almost all the way gone. That meant I was able to eat dinner normally.

I have a second appointment next week for the second side of my mouth. Now that I've been through the process once I'll be able to plan a little better.