I broke a front tooth recently And needed an extraction and implant A 2 hour procedure So off to the oral surgeon I went yesterday
Staff were masked HEPA Air filter was on I wore my [breathe]2 As usual For the procedure I donned a filtered nasal CPAP
Before the procedure I McGyvered a CSA-Cerified CanadaMasQ Q100 respirator over the intake of my CPAP machine at home Similar to what I had done last year with a surgical mask while overnite in hospital for surgery
Note: CPAP machines have intake filters but they're small & usually unrated - not something to take a chance on in a medical environment Over the course of 2 hours, I had to take six unfiltered breaths through my mouth Not by choice But the surgeon inadvertently leaned against and compressed the tubing for a few prolonged periods during a rather difficult extraction In a heightened state of anxiety during oral surgery, I may have been breathing upwards of 20 BPM So six unfiltered breaths is tiny compared to what it would have been otherwise I was breathing filtered air 99.8% of the time (1- (6/(20x120)) x 100% = 99.8% I had to readjust the nasal tubing a couple dozen times When it was jostled during the procedure No big deal At the end of the procedure I felt a little beaten up But safe Mission accomplished ššš