4 teeth lighter, and a little bit wiser

My wisdom teeth have been causing me pain every couple of weeks since the year started, to the point where I actually had difficulty speaking and loss of appetite. Although only one side was bothering me, I decided to have all four remove to prevent future cases of impacted wisdom teeth.

(via weheartit)

The surgery itself was not bad at all, the recovery however was a bit cumbersome.

About Impacted Wisdom Teeth

The oral surgeon provided a helpful handout explaining why wisdom teeth bug us. Essentially our jaws have evolved to be smaller with time, but the number of teeth we have has not changed. So impacted wisdom teeth occur when the wisdom teeth do not fully erupt.

(via onlywisdomteeth)

This wisdom teeth are classified according to the direction that they grow in. So these cause pain when there is inflammation or infection of those areas - the fact that this was reoccuring so prompted me to seek a referral to the oral surgeon. I found one in the city

Wisdom Teeth Removal

This was done under deep sedation (versus general anesthetic, no intubation required and you breath on your own) and I had to fast 6 hours before the procedure, and could have fluids up to two hours beforehand. The entire morning it was absolute torture walking through the underground Path in Toronto to get to the dentist - the aroma of food in the mall was absolutely overwhelming and I could not stop thinking about food!

The procedure itself only took 30 minutes, most of the time was taken to put me to sleep and wake me up. I was able to TTC it home with a friend, which I was surprised about since I wasn't sure what to expect. I remember hearing drills and people talking, but for the most part I felt no pain whatsoever during and after. I didn't experience any nausea either, which I am thankful for!

I picked up my medications at the pharmacy right after the procedure - which included an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory, Tylenol#3 and an antibiotic.

There was a lot of bleeding initially: Opening my mouth I looked like a bloody vampire without fangs. Eventually this subsided and apparently saliva mixed with a little bit of blood is normal within the next few days.

The Diet

So its primarily liquid diet right now, and I was contemplating buying "Ensure/Boost" as meal replacements but I realized I could easily make smoothies at home since I have a blender and protein powder. I have to avoid using fruits with seeds as these can get stuck between the stitches.

My simple mango smoothie: fresh mango, skim milk and whey protein!

My brother bought pizza and it was absolute torture watching him eat it. He got me some Ginger Ale for me which I did appreciate

No more physical activities

The post-op care sheet says no activities for the next little while. So I've had to miss out on this Sunday's Dragonboat practice (boo). I'll be taking it easy this weekend, with no social or extra-curricular obligations.

This is really bizarre considering my weekends are usually very packed, but it is a nice change. I can finally catch up on all those chores, in fact I could get started on some spring cleaning.

(via littlemisspaintbrush)

I'll be back to work on Monday seeing patients, hopefully I'll be able to talk to them without pain :P

Have you ever head wisdom teeth removed before? What's your experience been like?

To a pain free mouth :)
   

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