Oral Surgery

I had a consultation with an oral surgeon yesterday. I am now scheduled to have all four wisdom teeth extracted on Monday - two of which are only partially above the gum-line and are also partially covered by bone. I was given three options and/or a combination of the options: option 1 -Local Anesthesia, option 2 -Nitrous Oxide and option 3 -I.V. Sedation. The pamphlet said that 80% of patients choose option 3 - sedation. I too was planning to go that route from the beginning but, for a few seconds, I was considering whether or not I could, or rather, would be willing to go the less chemically intrusive and much cheaper routes (options 1 & 2). Also, the idea of trying "laughing gas" kinda interested me - "why not laugh my way through it?!". Ultimately, I chose option #3 I.V. Sedation. I Just "Can't" Do It! I know that I could do it if that was what I needed to do or had to do but really, my anxiety level is rising right now just slightly contemplating the idea again.

So, I came home to share the news with my husband. I explained the situation, the options, the results, and the bottom line ($) and I have to admit I was feeling a bit guilty about the cost of the "unnecessary" I.V. sedation. When I read in the Dr.'s office that (only) 80% of patients go with sedation, I instantly knew that my husband would, without a doubt, interpret that as a challenge and most definitely go without! I shared this with him as well and he agreed that he would not be sedated (he also said something about not being a "wimp") but that he understood why I wanted to and supported my decision. I agree with him that I am caving in to my inner wimp, but I will just have to accept that and go with the "flow" (I.V. humor).