Yes, nurse is aware of auto-surgery, although she doesn't exactly approve <g> -- Actually not that difficult because there are no nerves connected and the bad parts are obvious -- What was happening is that some of the bad stuf had stranded and the thin end was dangling in throat, giving me a constant choking feeling, which is not conducive to healing sleep -- I could suck it up into the suction wand and then grab it with one hand while I snipped it with the other -- There were still some large, tough chunks in there but is much better now.

This is NOT water pik stuf, but much larger stuf still firmly attached on one end -- The total area that went bad is about the size of a dead mouse.

Rinsing well with saline solution so as little pieces die and slough off, they will be rinsed away.

I have been using a sonic brush for some years now and the tooth-cleaning lady at dentist is quite pleased with results.

Christine, if you die, your cats won't eat you because the dogs will guard you (and not be tempted to eat you if the cats are stupid to hang around looking like dog treats!).