Execution is a funny word, isn't it? It can mean that something has been killed off, removed, stifled out of existence. It can also refer to how something is accomplished. The execution of the plan, the method by which the work is
completed.What then, about the execution of the execution? What about something that is clamoring to be stifled? What about that execution? How is it accomplished, how is it removed?
Well, if it's a tooth, the answer is: extraction. Extraction is both the accomplishment and the removal. The extraction is the execution. They remove most or all of your tooth, tell you that you may or may not have to return in a few years for the same tooth, and send you home with an extraction care package.
It's not an incredibly varied package, but it's so obviously full of warm fuzzies. After all, the word "care" appears on almost every item in the package. There are instructions for postoperative care, reassurance that the oral surgeon offers exceptional care, cautions to "take care when driving" on the bottle with the pain meds, and admonishment to carefully peel open the protective packaging for the gauze. What a caring bunch the oral care industry must be.
Recovery from a tooth extraction can depend on many factors. David thought he had lucked out this time around. Immediately following the surgery he felt virtually no pain, and even 24 hours later he had to be talked into taking a Percocet. He grinned widely and noted that he didn't really have any swelling to speak of. We agreed that it had been a smart move to get the extraction before the tooth had gotten grossly overdue, and nodded that he must be reaping the fruits of responsible cavity management.
Oops. That evening, our darling daughter left her mark. She loves to cuddle. But being three, she is unable to hold still for more than two seconds. No, scratch that. Her idea of holding still is keeping most of her body still while her toes madly knead your thighs. She absolutely cannot hold still. When she's happy and excited, her movements escalate to keep up with her big emotions. When she's happy and excited, her arms and legs move furiously and without restraint. She has no idea where her body is in space.
So, back to the oops. Dear Daddy David, cuddling with our Crazy Kicky Worm, suddenly finds that -- Ouch. He has been smacked in the jaw by a happily flailing arm. Somehow smacked directly in the half-inch area from where his tooth was extracted.
His jaw immediately swelled up. Suddenly he looked like he'd had a much more dramatic oral surgery. Poor guy. So much for compassionate aftercare.
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2 comments:
Been there, done that and worse. I had a tooth extracted, no big deal. Novicane is a wonder drug. I went to the State Fair that afternoon. My best friend and I were walking through 'info-mercial alley' when I was stopped by a gentlemen asking about domestic violence. He insisted that everyone knows someone affected by domestic violence. Having a friend that was being beaten, I agreed. He would not let me go, I had to take his card and 'if you need help it is available'. OK, whatever. When I got home that night I saw in the mirror what the gentleman saw in person...I had a big, green bruise on my jaw - it looked as if some one had hit me! I went looking for the gentleman who talked to me the next day but didn't see him. I wanted to thank him for his concern, but he was not there... To this day I wonder about him and hope he is still rescuing beaten women.
Thanks for the story -- sounds like you need your own blog!
General comment to the world at large -- I'm not big on "Anonymous" comments. Even if I don't know you, if you're not willing to put your name to it, why bother writing it down at all?
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