Slow and Steady

Welcome to 2021 everyone. Recently, I went through another milestone in my life. Around Mid-December, I had four wisdom teeth removed and my mouth has been healing over the holidays. So far, I’ve been trying to handle the healing process the same way I think we should act in this COVID-19 pandemic, cautiously and slowly.

Since the procedure, I’ve been careful to follow all the guidelines in the information received from my oral surgeon, such as: taking the daily antibiotics during the first week of recovery, regularly cleaning out the tooth holes with a syringe of salt water, and staying on a soft food diet as my mouth heals.

Like some seem to have been feeling, with the lock-downs and COVID-19 rules, the monotony of the routine I’ve had to follow, and the wait to be able to eat hard foods again, has been frustrating at times. Yes, I miss being able to eat a nice piece of steak or fried chicken, but I know patience and carefulness is key to protecting my mouth long term. If I let my mouth heal now, it should, eventually, be healthy enough for me to resume my regular routine, for a long time down the road.

This is just like how important it is for people to follow the advice of medical professionals now, during this pandemic. If some people break the rules, we will be stuck in provincial lock-down longer than if we all just decided to follow the recommended procedures. Just look at how COVID-19 cases in Ontario have heavily increased since Christmas and New Year’s as an example. As I mentioned the importance of healthcare professionals earlier in the column, let me just say a thank you to Dr. Stan Fenwick in Oshawa. He did an excellent and professional job on my mouth. As someone who has not really been a fan of seeing the dentist and has never had oral surgery until now, I felt comfortable on both of my visits to the Dental clinic.

Healing takes time, but all the effort and care you put into it is worth it in the future. Happy New Year everyone, and I hope 2021 is better than 2020!

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