Yesterday I got three wisdom teeth pulled. It was important that I get it done soon, as I have 100% dental coverage through work, and who knows how long that will last! I need to take advantage of my situation while I can.
I went to the dentist a few weeks ago, after not going since high-school. It was decided at that appointment that my wisdoms needed to come out.
Yesterday was the day. Carmella drove me down to Vancouver. We left at 7am, since we'd be having breakfast with one of her good friends first, who lives on The Island and is in Vancouver once every few months.
It was a good breakfast, and I made sure to eat a lot because it'd be the last solid food I'd get to eat for a few days. I got pancakes and some eggs and some hashbrowns. None of these items should be considered really solid, but they were really tasty.
Carmella's friend Aniko has two children, one who is 5, and one who recently learned to walk. It was interesting having breakfast with little kids...it was actually pretty fun. They were polite and well behaved and weren't screaming and being all disruptive. Aniko's husband is in China, so I didn't get to meet him. Maybe later we'll talk Middle Kingdom.
Anyway, after breakfast I went to the dentist's office to pick up a script for some anti-anxiety pills. Most patients don't get these, but since I was so wound-up last appointment, Dr. Kwong suggested the option.
I got the pills, then dropped them about 30mins before my appointment. Carmella and I then sat in the waiting room. He we are, while I still have three wisdom teeth. I am a bit apprehensive.
I didn't really notice the effects of the anti-anxiety drugs, until I found myself singing along loudly to a song on my phone. Carmella mentioned that I was high, and the receptionist behind the desk said "See? Trips to the dentist aren't all bad!"
Then it was off to the dentist's chair. I was nervous, but feeling confident. Carmella was going to take pictures since I wanted to blog them, but Dr. Kwong and his assistant weren't into the idea. So, knowing that the procedure would be more than an hour long, she got some food to eat.
While it was happening, I was thinking that this procedure was the worst thing that I had ever been through. It wasn't too painful, but for some reason it was really bad. I had local anesthetic, so I felt pressure rather than pain.
Dr. Kwong went after the most difficult one first. It had grown in very close to the back of my jaw bone, so it was hard to get at. The bone was right on top of it, so it would be hard to find purchase. He'd have to chop the crown off first, then go in and retrieve the roots. It sounds simple, but was pretty terrible. I think the thing that got me the most was all the implements that they used in my mouth. He had a little circular saw, pliers, stretchers, and probably an ax.
He was rummaging around in my mouth for a long time. I could tell he was a bit stressed, because there was a sense of urgency and tension in his voice when he'd ask for various instruments. I heard him exclaim at one point "I can't get a hold of anything!"
Sometimes he'd be yanking on my tooth, pulling toward him. He'd get his assistant to tug my head in the other direction. I just sat there with my protective glasses askew, hoping splinters of tooth and chunks of flesh weren't going to start flying out of my mouth. I was also trying to be confident that my healthy teeth wouldn't end up being collateral damage.
While the procedure seems primal, and while I thought it was really savage at the time, Dr Kwong did a good job. He was trying his best to make it happen smoothly and as painlessly as possible. Teeth are stubbornly attached to your skull, and aren't supposed to come out. They way it happened was the only way it could happen, and it happens every day in dental offices all over. I may have had it a bit worse than the average person because I have some stout roots, and because that one tooth was situated under the bone. Other than that though, I had to go through a fairly average procedure.
When he finally got the roots out, and said this first of three was finished, I for some reason lost it mentally. I began hyper-ventilating, and then tears began gushing out of my eyes, down my cheeks, and presumably into a puddle on the floor. There was something psychological going on there for sure, since it wasn't actually that painful, and that portion of the procedure was over. Dr Kwong was doing nothing except telling me to take slow, deep breaths.
The second tooth was similar to the first, but much easier. The last tooth took about thirty seconds to get out, and was pretty much pain-free. I had to wait in the office for a few minutes once the procedure was over, but I don't remember why. I think we were waiting for more scripts for a post-procedure drug concoction. Here I am after the teeth are out. Note that there is not much swelling. Dr Kwong mentioned that the swelling would peak on recovery day number two.
I had to go to the pharmacy and get three types of medicine. I got T3s, Amoxicillin, and Ketorolac. I'm taking the Amoxicillin every six hours to fight infection, a T3 for pain when needed, and I recently downed a Ketorolac for inflammation.
I'm not usually one for pills, so taking these is a bit of a stretch for me. But, they gave me the drugs for a reason, and I haven't been in terrible pain since I started taking them. So they're doing their job, and I'm not miserable.
I've spent the time since the extraction at home, either on the couch or in my bed. Carmella is very helpful, making me food and keeping me company. She's also figured out my drugs and when I should take them and what to expect when I do. Most of all though, she's put up with my constant silliness, a side effect of these drugs.
Today is recovery day number two, and I was quite surprised when I looked in the mirror this morning. I'm a chipmunk! I'm reminded of when Carol got her jaw surgery and had a similar jowl-y appearance.
My right cheek is much more swollen than the left, even though the left side had two extractions, while the right side had just one. But the right side was the site of the problematic tooth, so it makes sense.
