Just Pixels

Well, my implant is firmly in place, thus closing what has been a three year oral beating. And as it was April '05 that I got my braces on to start this joyride, so this venture ends in April '08 with my tooth implant surgery.

But if you'll let me, I'd like to share the most memorable highlights of the implant surgery with you:

1) Shots in the gums (always a classic. especially if you fear needles like The Plague).

2) A 10mm hole drilled into my jaw bone (the jarring, grinding sensation of a tiny drill bit boring into your jaw bone is truly sensational, if not uniquely disturbing).

3) A titanium peg implant being literally ratcheted - with a nifty micro medical ratchet - into the aforementioned jaw bone hole (the ratchet even made the little clicky noises on the backstroke).

4) Losing consciousness (in full faint mode) while walking out of the O.R. post-surgery and then waking up seconds later to find Joe MouthDoctor cradling my upper body/head (thus preventing a crumple-to-the-floor fiasco) and all the nurses huddled around staring.

So, yeah. Such good momentos, no?. I'm just glad it's over. Sweet mother of dental infirmities! But if I hear the words "Oral" and "Surgery" again in reference to my own mouth, then you're just gonna have to cock the hammer back and blow me away right there. No way in Hades am I going through that again. Just...No.

note: the above photo is an actual x-ray of my shiny new, titanium alloy implant. shazam! Joe MouthDoctor was nice enough to email me the photo. what a guy. quite brawny, too, from what i gathered during our special moment of the faint-prevention embrace.