Bone Grafting Surgery

If you have been following my Facebook or Twitter, you would have know that I went for a dental surgery yesterday and is on medical leave for a week.

No, it’s not wisdom tooth surgery. I did a bone grafting surgery. To cut the long story short, I had an accident when I was 10 years old and lost 2 of my adult molar. So I have been putting denture for 16 years.

But I don’t want to spend the rest of my life removing and cleaning my denture every night. So I decided to go for dental implant. I am doing it now because my teeth have fully grown and I have saved up enough to go for the surgery.

I would need to do 3 surgeries in order to complete my implant. As the accident took place so long ago, I had some some bone loss, so I had to do a bone grafting surgery (stage 1) first. After it heals for 6 months, I will continue with the 2nd surgery.

Basically, bone grafting repair implant sites with inadequate bone structure. Meaning to say, the area where I am doing my implant, must first be grafted with my own bone (in this case, from my right jaw), to correct these defects prior to implant placement.

I didn’t have sedation for my surgery. For the 2-hour surgery, I put up with the drilling, knocking, sewing sound. It can get quite scary but I guess I am quite accustomed to it since I have done something similar when I was 10 years old.

Now part 1 of my dental implant is over, my soft food diet begins. My right jaw and front part of my teeth is starting to swell. I will be back to the dentist next week to remove my stitches, and hopefully I can eat proper food by then.

The accident did leave a scar on my lip (I had 15 stitches) and I wasn’t comfortable with my appearance for a very long time. But now that I have finally accepted myself for who I am, I am hence writing this post to share this little tremour in my life.

It is a lesson of learning to accept and love myself for who I am. I used to have this little voice in me, looking down at myself with the denture and scar in my ugly mouth. But now, instead of letting that voice continuously judge me, I begin to accept who I am and learn from this journey.

Writing this food blog has, of course, given me much motivation, reminding me I live out great moment in life regardless of my molar situation. I believe everyone is special in their own ways, it is only when you find passion in whatever you do that will allow you to see greater possibilities in life.

And the boy, who loves me for who I am, has sent this bouquet of flowers today to help me “ease” my pain a little. I am blessed.