wisdom teeth

I used to have 32 teeth in my mouth. 

I've always gone to the dentist every 6 months to get my teeth cleaned, and I don't regularly floss (because really, who does that) but I have a consistent twice-a-day teeth brushing routine.  I've had many years of methodical, rule-following orthodontia.  (Thanks, parents, for paying for that.)  I've never had any cavities (knock on wood) or emergency dental procedures.

Until about two weeks ago.

All 4 of my wisdom teeth had nearly completely erupted and were hanging out in my mouth just fine for a number of years.  Now, I really hated teething at 23, and those buggers were hard to brush way back there, but overall, those third molars minded their own business.  My lower left wisdom tooth, henceforth referred to as #17, had come in straight up like the rest of my teeth but rotated about 90 degrees, like a kindergartener looking sideways when lined up at the classroom door instead of facing the teacher.  #17 was most prone to getting food stuck around it because of its close relationship with my gums, and one day it started to hurt back there.  A lot.  I was used to getting sore cheek tissue back by my wisdom teeth because I so often bit myself  back there, but this was different.  My usual methods of getting the pain to go away weren't working.  I was in intense, constant pain for multiple days, and it came to the point where I need to find a local dentist, stat.  Last Thursday I was able to be seen, and the very knowledgeable and pleasant dentist told me I had pericoronitis and said exactly what I'd feared - #17 needed to be removed as soon as possible, along with its upper buddy #16.  For long term dental health, it would behoove me to take out #1 and #32 at the same time.  As freaked out as I was, I knew it needed to be done.

I appreciated all the advice and stories I heard from my friends regarding wisdom teeth removal.  Crowdsourcing on Facebook was a worthwhile idea - my status got 42 different comments, not including replies to some of those comments.  It amazed me the range of experiences my friends have had, anywhere from not needing any prescription pain meds to worst-case-scenario and extra long recovery.  Though it was a little unnerving not knowing how things would turn out for me, I appreciated knowing what could happen so I wouldn't be blindsided.  The support from my friends at school has made me feel very at ease taking off for two days.  Conveniently, I have a good friend from college who's finishing up dental school, so calling her the night before and hearing her professional opinions and advice gave me a lot of comfort. (Thanks Juli!)

Many phone calls, sub plans, eating only on my right side, and squirting mouthwash with a syringe to flush behind #17 later, the day came to get the wisdom extracted from my mouth.  My mom drove down Wednesday night so she could drive me to and from the oral surgeon Thursday (~1 hour away from where I live) and take care of me for the first day and a half of recovery.  I took the IV anesthesia just fine (praise the Lord!) and don't remember a thing happening, which is exactly what I wanted.  The procedure itself only took about 20 minutes, if I remember what they told me correctly.  Turns out they were able to extract all 4 teeth without needing to give me any stitches, which is pretty uncommon.  The bottom two usually need to be broken before getting pulled, and in the process #17 lost the tip of one of its 4 roots (also uncommon - there's typically just 2 roots).  This small root fragment was sitting right on top of a nerve though, so the oral surgeon decided the best thing to do was leave it there.  It will either dissolve or work its way up to the surface eventually.

I think my least favorite part of the whole process was not being able to feel my face for many hours.  My tongue felt so swollen and thick and useless in my mouth.  I was never all that loopy from the anesthesia (though I was tippy and not able to focus great for the hour-drive home), but man, did I sound funny when I talked because of my tongue and the hours of gauze!  It was the most wonderful thing when I finally regained full normal use of my tongue.

the tie-dye bandana
and dishtowel
ice pack setup

Recovery day 1 went very well. I was never really that swollen, and a regular ice regimen of 10-minutes-on-10-minutes-off was very helpful.  A friend of mine suggested holding ice packs using a bandana tied around my head - it looked hilarious, but it was quite effective and was easier than trying to old the packs totally by hand.  (Thanks, Theresa!)  After many hours of gauze pads in my mouth, some good clots seem to have formed, and I haven't managed to screw anything up yet (I hope).  I was bleeding for quite a while, but that's because of my lack of stitches, which makes sense.  I didn't have to break out the bite-on-a-black-tea-bag trick, though I was considering it.  I'm very glad that I don't get grossed out by blood, because there was plenty.  I have discovered that Carnation Instant Breakfast high protein shakes taste decent, are a good source of nutrients, and are pretty filling.  This has proven quite helpful for eating well when I'm sticking to liquid or very soft foods.  Also, DQ milkshakes are delicious.  I didn't nap at all this first day, but I was feeling fine.  It was lovely to have mom around to talk to; we haven't seen each other in a while, and though I call her often, it was fun to do some quality catching up, hanging out, and watching Gustavo Dudamel conduct the opening concert of the season at Carnagie Hall live.

DQ butterscotch shake

Day 2 has been tougher - not because of mouth or jaw pain but because of exhaustion.  My body is putting all its energy into healing, I can tell.  I've been trying very hard to make sure I'm getting plenty of caloric intake (a little tricky given my liquid/soft diet) and not overexerting myself.  Standing and walking around has been a struggle; the couch and my bed have been my best friends.  Today especially, I cannot tell you how much of a blessing it was to have my mom around.  She washed a whole bunch of dirty dishes, got food for me so I didn't have to leave the couch, made a batch of mashed potatoes for me to eat in the next few days, helped write out a schedule of post-op care for the next few days so I know what I'm doing, and called the oral surgeon's office with a few questions.  Turns out that headache that wasn't being impacted by the pain meds is hydration/food related, which I'm not surprised about.  Mom had to head back home today, but I'm incredibly thankful she was able to be here at all.  My roommate was super helpful when she got home from school today, making sure I ate something, took my medicine on time, and offering to make a grocery run.  I've rested and slept much more today, in addition to getting some good knitting and Netflix-watching in.  (I'm slowly but surely getting caught up on Once Upon a Time.)  I'm still a little concerned about the clots, but I think I will be for days, the worrywart that I am.  The potential for dry socket freaks the heck out of me, but I'm doing as much as I can to prevent it from occurring.  Only time will tell.

Day 3 is potentially my highest pain day, so the doctor said.  Day 4 is the day that dry socket will either happen or not.  Basically, if I can make it through the weekend without complications, I should be home free.  Next week at school will be a transition into more normal foods and having to have more normal energy amounts.  I will take the advice of one of my college education books - "be your own best sub" - and take it easy on myself.  My students are great, but they can take a lot of energy out of me, so I will plan accordingly.  My boyfriend is coming up to the area for some vacation time this coming week, so I will have him and my other friends in the area to lean on when I need some extra help since my family is 3.5 hours away.  I'm looking forward to feeling more and more myself in the days and weeks to come.

I am a little disappointed that I can no longer brag to my students that I have 32 teeth in my mouth, but if it means I'm likely to avoid many dental problems in the future, it's all worth it.  My remaining 28 will serve me just fine.