Stitchless

Today I have the stitches removed from the second tooth extraction. I am worried because I have had a lot of pain all week long, and I suspect there are at least two other teeth that are acting up and will have to be extracted. I have an assessment appointment on the 15th, but if these two teeth don't calm down soon, I don't know if I can hold out! I need more time for the wounds to heal before sustaining any other injury.

I arrive as early as possible, hoping to be the first in line and whisk in and out before I need to be at the library. There are already five or six ahead of me by 7:30 am! Good thing I brought an assigned reading. I dig in and am busy underlining when I am surprised to hear my name called. The assistant tells me I am lucky to be the first back. I agree.

I am still nervous about what the dentist will find. Did I get an infection? Are things healing OK? I know my remaining teeth are shifting position, but will they insist on pulling something? The dentist has a heavy Spanish accent, hard to understand. She looks in my mouth, pulls at the threads with tweezers, then a quick snip, snip and the stitches are gone.

Everything looks good, she tells me. No infection, but it will take at least another whole week of healing before things settle down in there. Plenty of time to do the assessment before anything else should blow up. She bangs on my teeth with the handle of a tool, and nothing hurts all that much. I am relieved. Despite the pain and the continual Tylenol taking, I am a bit more comfortable thinking that everything was all riled up by the extraction and given enough time, the pain and discomfort will settle down.

Maybe I won't have to lose another tooth - at least not right away. I guess I can live with the pain for awhile. Besides, all this eating soft foods and Jello has made the needle on the scale go down. Not a bad side effect. "Quit fussing!" I tell myself. Get on with life. At least you are not being held together with duct tape and baling wire yet!