The Wisdom Teeth Diaries.

Since my face is swollen, bruised, and I am completely uncomfortable propped up in bed; I thought I would write a blog regarding my wisdom teeth experience.

1. For a whole week I have not been looking forward to my surgery and did a lot of extensive research (via friends/people i know who already got theirs out, articles, etc). This was my attempt to prepare myself so I would know what to expect. I heard mixed stories but overall everyone said it is not that bad.

2. The morning of my surgery I woke up at 5:30 am as my nerves would not allow me to sleep and I kept having to go to the bathroom. Not being able to eat or drink anything 8 hours prior was also of difficulty and I longed for just a drop of water. Mom came over to pick me up and once I started talking/moving around my nerves calmed down.

3. It rained the day of my surgery pretty much all day long so I was already feeling sleepy. For check in I had to read over these papers that listed a bunch of statements that I had to initial. These are the offices "cover their butts" statements which include things like 'I understand there could be swelling, bruising, nerve damage...the anesthesia could cause stroke, heart attack, even death". That left me feeling calm and ready to go (NOPE!)

4. In the waiting room mom and I started talking to a lady who was waiting for her 14 year old daughter who was also getting her wisdom teeth out. Come to find out the mom is a teacher in the school system also so we started talking about school related things, wedding, wisdom teeth and soon after we started talking the nurse called me back for surgery.

5. They do the surgery right there in the dental chair. For some reason in my mind I thought I would be on a surgery table. The nurse leaned me back and started my oxygen and hooked me up to an eKg and blood pressure monitor. Mom was able to come back with me for this part. Then the doctor came in to give me my anesthesia. The oxygen turned to laughing gas to get me a little woozy. He took a "rope" (as I retold the story from the drugged up standpoint) and tied it tight around my right arm to expose the vein. The actually needle was barely even felt just a slight prick. I didn't feel him insert the drug into my vein at first but then I could slowly start to feel it overtake my body.

My arm was the first to go numb. I later told my mom it felt like my arm had fallen off. Then I could feel it working through my legs and move upward. My brain was the last to shut off functioning. I remember trying to talk to the doctor but my words were all backwards and twisted. The nurse asked me if I was starting to feel it and I remember laughing and the last thing I said was: oh yeah i'm feeling it.

6. I remember waking up to Dr. BAiley asking me to open my mouth and turn and I thought I had been awake the whole time. Next thing I know the nurse is outside the door talking to my mom (their voices were muffled sounding) and then she comes back in and helps me up, puts on my coat, and walks me to the car. I remember thinking..man that's it? I didn't feel near as out of it as I had expected (my mom reports a different story and tells me I was looped and off the wall) My mouth was packed tightly with gauze but all I wanted to do was talk. I wasn't supposed to talk because the packing is supposed to help the bleeding clot up.

7. We headed to pick up my medicine. I was prescribed 2 different kinds. One for pain and another was an antibiotic because my upper two teeth had hooks in the roots which had grown into my sinus cavity (which probably more thank likely accounts for all the dizziness I was experiencing last month). For whatever reason while mom was in Walgreens I decided I was going to balance my checkbook. It felt like it only took me 5 minutes but apparently mom was gone for 20 and I was still sitting there drugged up when she returned to the car.

8. My post op care instructions were the usual for wisdom teeth extraction but I have an extra set due to the sinus thing that involves no blowing my nose for 2 weeks or sneezing/pressure because I could blow the holes out and end up with some serious infections in my sinuses. No thank you.

9. Whoever said you get the best rest from your wisdom teeth being removed lied or either they were given some really great medicine. My medicine does not make me sleepy, just knocks off the pain and my mouth is so swollen and bruised that I am uncomfortable and cannot rest like I want to.

10. My diet has consisted of: mashed potatoes (my jump off), pudding, yogurt, applesauce, mashed up carrots, sprite, and gatorade. I have been icing to help the swelling but that hasn't seemed to put a dent in things. I get to start my warm compressed today (praise the Lord) and I am hoping that will help cause the swelling to start to go down. I started my salt water mouth rinses yesterday to help keep everything clean in there and get healed. I can start to feel my teeth and the stitches though I cannot put my fingers or teeth in any of the holes. My right side is the most painful and swollen because that is where they had to break the bottom tooth because it was severely impacted and pushing into the roots of another tooth.

I can only brush my front teeth as opening my mouth and brushing on the side is too uncomfortable right now. There is a cut on one side of my mouth from either where a took snagged me or my mouth cracked from being open so far. I have bruising mostly on the right side.

11. The worst part about the whole thing is not being able to get comfortable due to the swelling and the pain from my mouth. I cannot wait to eat food with more substance and won't have to starve anymore.

Overall though this experience was no where near as bad as I thought it was going to be. The initial surgery was a piece of cake in comparision to the recovery process.
I had the bomb doctor that did my surgery and his practice is highly recommended in the area.