This entry was originally going to be named, “Steffie -The Pain Is Gone,” but I was afraid it would be taken the wrong way! Steffie’s not gone, but her pain is.
A few weeks ago, while visiting the orthodontist, the decision was made that her four wisdom teeth would have to go. That’s a lot of wisdom.
Steffie finished her school semester, went to Florida to visit my folks and then flew back to get this dental work done. The actual surgery was done Thursday with the thought she’d recuperate over the long Christmas weekend.
Everything went really well. The surgery was easy… or so we were told. Steffie came out with swollen cheeks and everything between her chin and tongue numb.
We expected her to suffer somewhat on Friday but when the pain persisted into Saturday and Sunday, we knew something wasn’t right. Originally she applied ice, took Motrin and suffered in silence. When things didn’t get better she started taking a stronger painkiller.
I don’t think there’s any way for Steffie to understand this – I certainly couldn’t have understood before I became a parent, but Helaine and I felt every bit of it. Even more, we felt powerless that we couldn’t make her feel any better. A parent is supposed to comfort their child.
This morning Helaine called the oral surgeon to tell him of Steffie’s troubles. Within a few hours they were seeing him.
It turns out Steffie had two dry sockets. I’m no dentist, but I think it means the little clot of blood that protects the surgical area was gone. Within a few minutes, but after enough a lot of pain, Steffie was fine.
It was amazing to see her return home happy after knowing she left hurting. I’m really glad Helaine called the surgeon today… probably not as glad as Steffie is.