The Other Side of The Table; The Receiving End.

Today, I had surgical extraction done.

Been having pericoronitis of my third molars and needed to take them out.

On a good day, I'll discuss the topic; Pericoronitis.

I had booked for my surgery today and before mine, I observed one more of it done for another patient. I'm a dental surgeon by the way, so these things gets done all the time.

I've done several and I've seen first-hand the great difficulty it take in some cases and in some other cases, it's quite easy.
I've always looked forward to doing this procedure for patients. And now, it was my turn to the patient.

---

As the surgical field was set up, I became anxious. I called my colleague to give me a hug.. I was getting really anxious.
I took a long breath and I passed that phase.
And yes, I quickly took a selfie.

---

We started with the local anaesthesia injection.. I saw first hand how it felt; the needle prick, the feeling of swelling, the tongue and lip reaction.
The incision wasn't felt as I wasn't feeling pain.
Then the drill.. I could hear the sound so close to my ears.. anything could have gone wrong if I had fret in reaction to the drill sound and vibration but not with my surgeon. He's a seasoned Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon and he's greatly skilled. So, I kept calm.amd trusted him.

The extraction was quite a difficult one.. studies and experience has proven that Igbo (a tribe in Eastern Nigeria) have stronger jaw bones and are prone to having more difficult extractions, and I'm Igbo😅

I started having all sorts.. the pressure was much, headache ensued.. at a point, I wanted to give up on the procedure but that only meant more pain.

I endured to the end, with rests in between (my surgeon, who is my Chief, is the best).
I was becoming hypoglycemic.. had a light breakfast earlier plus loads of LA I'd received.
My surgeon ordered a drink for me, reclined the chair so blood (bearing glucose) could flow up to my brain.
He ensured I was very comfortable and while at it, reminded me of a patient I did same procedure for that was quite difficult and I smiled.

My colleagues came around to felicitate with me.

I was given analgesic injections and also took per oral post-op because the headache was out of this world.. the LA hadn't faded and my face felt like it wasn't mine.

I got a ride home, had to excuse myself from the clinic because the doctor is now the patient and needed rest😅

It took 3hours for me to be restored to moderate comfort.
I still feel a little discomfort but not enough to tie me down.

Had to keep to the post surgery instructions I give to others and once I mistakenly did something wrong and bleeding started. I knew exactly what to do to arrest it immediately, luckily.
But really, the instructions aren't so easy😩

---

This will be the first time I'm having an invasive dental procedure done and now I know how it feels to be on the other side of the table; at the receiving end.

Now, you can trust that I'll be a better dental surgeon, I'll be more patient with my patients, I'll validate them when they feel pain and not waive it as mere pressure. And when they say, they need a moment to rest, I'll let them have it.

Basically, I'll become a more humane Doctor.

---