The Lord carried me through :)

Woweee..God has been so gracious to me during my gum graft operation..it went so smoothly! Thanks so much for keeping me in your prayers, everyone..appreciate it very much from the bottom of my heart. Just to share, i hid the following verses in my heart before entering the operation room:

'What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.'
~Psalm 56:3,4

Was given local anaesthetic injections on the insides of my mouth in the upper and lower jaw gum areas before the operation..the Lord really guided the surgeon's hands so amazingly..these injections were painless! And I had 9 of such injections to my gums throughout the course of the operation to numb me to any pain..the thought of so many jabs to my gums simply alarms me.. :O

After the operation anaesthetic preparations, I was brought into utter darkness when the surgeon and her nurses made me lie flat on the adjustable chair, wrapped my whole body up and covered my eyes with sterile cloth..I was to be blindfolded but conscious throughout the course of the whole operation. My whole mouth was so numb from the anaesthetic injections that when the surgeon started the procedure by drilling off large pieces of gum and bone tissue from my upper and lower jaw..I felt absolutely no pain. Was praying to the Lord throughout the operation as my surgeon worked on me. Imagine this, you hear loud drilling sounds and dental instruments moving around the insides of your mouth..you are completely aware that bizarre things are happening to your gums and jaw bone..you can see bright laser lights through the thin blindfold you are wearing around your eyes..and you have no sensation of pain whatsoever..and through it all, you feel a quiet peace and confidence that only the Lord can give. No matter what was happening around me during the operation..one thing is for sure: the Lord was keeping me and carrying me through each and every moment of it all! I can imagine the huge amount of blood I had lost because the nurses were stuffing so much gauze into my mouth to soak up the blood. i could taste alot of blood too as it trickled down my throat. The gum graft op took two and a half hours, much longer than usual because my surgeon had to redo two stitches on the upper roof of my mouth. She told me that the gum recession that i had was very serious and that she had to stitch and secure the gum graft and any existing gum tissue together with extra tissue inside the lip of my lower jaw. It was complicated..but all in all, it was a good operation..Praise God! :D

Cannot open my mouth at all, cannot speak, cannot yawn and sneeze for now due to the many stitches to secure the gum graft onto my lower jaw..am going to be a very 'silent' child of God this week! Thank God for answered prayers..His power is so real, there is absolutely nothing to fear =) Praying that the Lord will speak to my heart in special ways regarding His divine Will for my life during this time of rest and healing as I continue to seek Him in prayer and His Word. May all of you enjoy your week walking joyously with the Lord as He gives you a song of praise in your heart! :)

P.S: take good care of your gums, everyone! :p

Why a gum graft operation?

When the gums are thin and weak due to a lack of tough attached tissues, recession can occur. When recession occurs the gum and bone are lost and the root becomes exposed. The root is soft and if it remains exposed for long can begin to abrade (wear out) and disappear. This can lead to sensitivity, decay or damage to the nerve. If enough root structure is lost, the tooth will weaken and in severe cases, the tooth can break. When gum recession is noted, gum reconstruction using grafting techniques should be undertaken.

Risk factors for the progression of gum recession when tissues are thin include:
- Tooth brush abrasion due to vigorous brushing
- Biting overload. This can occur from grinding or clenching your teeth
- Increased functional load, i.e. supporting teeth for bridges or partial dentures with thin tissues.
- Orthodontic therapy
- Sensitive exposed roots
- Root exposure with high smile line
- Ill-fitting restorations under the gum line or those which are too deep violating gum attachments ("biologic width").

When there is only minor recession, some healthy gingiva (gum tissue) often remains and protects the tooth, so that no treatment other than modifying preventive plaque control practices is necessary. However, when recession and root abrasion reach the mucosa (loose, moveable tissue), the first line of defense against bacterial penetration and the tougher gingiva (gum tissue) is lost.

In addition, gum recession often results in root sensitivity to hot and cold foods as well as a "long in the tooth" appearance to the smile. Again, gum recession, when significant, can predispose the area to root gouging and decay, as the root surface is softer than enamel.

A gum graft is designed to solve these problems. A thin piece of tissue is taken from another site in the mouth, or gently moved over from adjacent areas, to provide a stable band of attached tissue around the tooth. The graft may be placed in such a way as to cover the exposed portion of the root.

The gum graft procedure is highly predictable and results in a stable healthy band of attached tissue around the tooth.