AKA, my Wisdom Teeth removal.

For those of you who don't know, your wisdom teeth are four adult molars that pop in during your late teens/early adulthood. Once upon a time, they served the purpose of replacing any permanent teeth we might have lost but with modern safety and dental care, they have become irrelevant. Instead, if they come in while you have all your teeth, they may push all your teeth out of alignment and require braces to fix. So, many Americans are faced with the tough choice between removal painful surgical removal before they erupt or a quick painless removal after they erupt but many years of braces afterward.

I'm right in between, my wisdom teeth have made themselves known but have not caused any serious damage. When I was younger, my dentist told my mom, I have plenty of room for my wisdom teeth to grow in. Recently I was informed otherwise!

So, I thought I'd write out my experience for you people here in case you will too soon be experiencing the joys of oral surgery!

Alright, usually wisdom teeth removal just requires yanking out the tooth, but this is only for erupted teeth (teeth fully exposed). Teeth that are below the gums but still pushing things around are called impacted and require cutting the gums apart to get out.

When I went in, I was given three options:

1) Just Novocain - Some people actually go through this procedure on just the gas! The gas does not take the pain away but it does make you feel very happy! smile Very, very Happy! biggrin Hehehehe! mrgreen Novocain is also offered if you're nervous, which I was, to help you relax. They let me choose a scented mask (I choose peach) and then WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! whee

2) Local anesthesia - This is recommended for the people who just need them yanked out. Basically they just stick a needle in your mouth and numb things up. You can still feel pressure and stuff but no pain.

3) General anesthesia / IV knock out! - So many people are afraid of this but it's not that bad an experience! In fact, if you have even one impacted tooth I recommend it!

Ok, so my experience. I went in a nervous wreck! I've read so many things that could go wrong! They might cut my nerve and I'd never be able to taste again, I will be spitting blood for weeks, I might wake up during and feel everything but be paralyzed, They could accidentally crack/damage my other teeth, jaw, lips, ect. . .

So, I went in and they gave me Novocain! whee Mentally, I was still there and aware but I couldn't stop chuckling and giggling! rofl While I was having my giggle fit, they put on the monitoring gadgets and slipped in my IV. A few minutes later. . . .

Seriously it felt like I blinked and BAM! Scene Change! I did wake up in the middle of the procedure and was awake long enough to feel a tooth go "Bye, bye!" but it didn't hurt and I blinked again. . .

BLINK! Another scene change! I woke up a second time right as they were stabbing my throat with a needle. It hurt like hell! I STILL hurt when I swallow! But I wasn't paralyzed or anything, I even shifted my legs to be more comfortable. . .

BLINK! Everyone and everything was gone! Then a nurse came in and stuffed my mouth with gauze. I was drowsy and they let me rest there for a while. Then they shook me, said "Well it was fun, bye now!"

So I went home! At first I thought, this isn't bad, I can't feel my lip or tongue but I'm good. . . . .

WRONG! First the numbness, it takes forever to go away, I still can't feel my tongue! Second the food! For the first 48 hours you have to eat cold soft foods. The less chewing the better. This is not fun on Thanksgiving! No amount of chocolate milkshakes will EVER make up for a turkey! (I actually celebrated Thanksgiving on Monday for this reason but there were still some left overs damn it!)

Alright, a liquid diet isn't that bad right? Even cold ones right? Well, the anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial medicines give me heartburn! So I can't sleep well! crying

I think the worst part of the whole thing is my jaw. Because it was stretched out and "traumatized" it aches constantly (like a sore muscle) and won't open very far. Chewing anything firmer than a ripe avocado leaves me feeling very fatigued! gonk Otherwise I'd be attempting to chew that damn turkey!

I'm so, so tired, dull ache, fooooooooooooooooooooood! crying

I'm gonna go drown my sorrows in a milkshake!