Post-op Dental Work

[Philip B]

I guess at five weeks post-op it's time to have some dental work done to repair damage that occurred during my stay in the ICCU after surgery.

My memories of my stay in the ICCU are thankfully very dim, but I came home with a broken tooth. According to my wife, I made a really good effort to chew through the breathing tube that connected me to the ventilator after surgery. Colleen tells me that the ICCU nurses made several efforts to get me to stop gnawing on the tube, but I failed to respond to their polite requests. In the end, they inserted some plastic bite wedges in my mouth. My continued efforts to chew through the tube got me a broken tooth. At least they kept me breathing.

I suspect we'll get to add the cost of a crown to the seemingly endless medical bills. More fun.

-Philip

 

[marky]

It is always a bummer when one thing leads to another!
Hopefully the tooth won't be much trouble to fix.

 

[hensylee]

I got one of those broken teeth when tonsils were removed at age 24. No tubes, just the dr.

 

[debster913]

Sorry to hear about the broken tooth. I needed my teeth cleaned four months post-op because of gingivitis (long story). My cardio prescribed a hearty dose of antibiotics and everything was fine.

You should be fine, too, just take the antibiotics as prescribed. I know, though, it is a pain in the...

Debi (debster913)

 

[aussigal]

Now thats the first time I have heard of that happening...you must have made it quite frustrating for those nurses. Its certainly a unique way to manage the rotten tube?
I hope all goes well with the Dentist.

 

[PJmomrunner]

Are you sure your teeth got chipped from chewing on flexible plastic? I understand that chipping the two front teeth is fairly common during intubation. It happened to a friend of mine; it just so happened that the anesthesiologist who did it was also a friend of mine!

 

[Philip B]

Bite wedges

Bite wedges

Yeah, from what my wife tells me, The bite bolcks or wedges they inserted were more of a harder plastic variety. The damaged tooth is on the right side where one of the wedges was placed. The tooth had a root canal and a filling so I suspect it was brittle and didn't fair well with the amount of pressure being put on it. I guess a damaged tooth was a small price to pay to keep me breathing.

After getting the hospital bill today the cost of adding some dental work in the form of a crown probably won't matter much. Hope my health insurance is good for something.

-Philip

 

[Ozmercy]

check with doctor

check with doctor

Make sure you check with your cardiologist before having the dental work done. Mine asked me to wait 6 months before doing any dental cleaning. I agree that it makes more sense that the teeth would have been chipped by the intubation. I used to be a paramedic and have inubated many and it is very easy to bang up against the teeth by accident.

Hope everything goes well.

Randy

 

[Granbonny]

I agree with Oz..call your Cardio..hard decison to make so soon after OHS?Have you seen your dentist for him to take a look?..If no problem..I would try to wait it out a few more weeks..Ask him (dentist) for a script for Amox.500mg..Take 4 1 hour before your visit to dentist.....I think I waited 4 months for my cleaning....In the past 5 years..I have had many dental procedures.No problems..and yes, a new crown last month..$800.00 and with that crown and my yearly cleaning..wiped my $1,500 dental Insurance OUT for the year. So, I will brush/floss for the next 8 months. Bonnie

 

[Philip B]

Dental Work

Dental Work

The pre-med thing is something I'm experienced with. I've been doing it with for 27 years. That's long enough I might add to see major changes in the amount of antibiotics prescribed for folks with valve issues. I used to have to do both pre and post dental procedure meds in large quanities.

My cardio doc has already approved the procedure with the stipulation that the work only involves a crown or a filling. He obviously doesn't want the dentist creating a bleeding incident by pulling the tooth. It's a good thing my dentist like most, prefers those expensive crown procedures. Lucky me.

-Philip

 

[Jkm7]

Good luck........ you've been through enough already but it'll be good when this is behind you as well.