The Consequences of Abdicating Control to Medical Professionals
Know your unique needs as a patient and a consumer
My recovery was brutal. Even Tramadol failed to buffer the pain. Three days after I remained sore and swollen, albeit the agony simmered down to a more tolerable steady throb. Without a doubt, I needed a more gentle approach. Indeed, after much rumination, I’m finally convinced that I have to go elsewhere for ongoing periodontal procedures. I’m even considering traveling to NYC from Montreal to schedule ongoing treatments with a top rated oral surgeon that I know is committed to shared decision-making (SDM).
The thing is, this is not my first rodeo. Aggressive periodontitis is a generational blight on my father’s side of the family. Early onset had me receiving scalings, root planing, bone grafts and cost-prohibitive surgeries since my mid-twenties. In NYC I’d have deep cleanings every 3 months with a periodontist. One quadrant at a time.
Throughout the years I’ve soldiered through oral surgeries, numbed out with numerous shots of lidocaine while awake. Eventually however, I opted for twilight sedation. What a difference. It’s hard to return to dental torture in a conscious state after the luxury of sleeping through it. Nevertheless I bit the bullet this time around and remained cognizant while enduring…
