Wisdom Tooth Removal… Not Fun
This will be off-topic based on all the past columns I have written about wrestling because of what I had to go through this week. The day was Feb. 1, and that was the day I was dreading for the past month. That day I had to get my wisdom teeth removed, and it was not something that I was looking forward to.
I started to feel one of my teeth grow in wrong a couple of months ago, and I decided to go to the dentist, thinking maybe they could just take that tooth out and nothing else. A quick and easy fix, or so I thought.
The solution the dentist gave me was to get three out of four wisdom teeth removed even though the other ones were going to be removed straight from the root without having been growing in at all. I, like many other people, hate the dentist with a passion. There is nothing against the profession if you are a dentist, but I wish I did not have to ever go in.
I tried to stall the appointment as long as I possibly could, but I finally had to get the procedure done in order to be ready for the beginning of my baseball season. I walked into the dentist on the first, and my first thought was to leave and never come back. That did not happen.
The dentist started to numb me, and that already started to cause a little bit of pain. Once that was over, he started to remove the top wisdom teeth first. I felt a lot of pressure on my teeth, and I asked them to stop twice. I have to admit it was not because of the pain. I genuinely was just not ready for my teeth to be yanked from my gums.
The dentist eventually removed the top two gums, which led to the bottom left. This bottom left wisdom tooth was not very cooperative. This tooth took almost 30 minutes, which was more than both top teeth took combined. I could hear the cracking of the tooth, which was the worst part in my opinion.
After 30 minutes which felt like almost an hour, I was done with the procedure and started to head home with my mom. The numbing was still very strong so I was not in pain at all in the car coming home. But once the numbing had worn off, everything started to fall apart.
I immediately got in one of the worst moods I have ever been in. I had to constantly keep switching the gauze that was in my mouth, and I had to keep a towel near me at all times to keep wiping if anything was going to drip. I attempted to take a nap to help me forget about the pain, but that did not help.
After a few hours and a Motrin, the pain wore off for a few, and I was able to walk around without pain on my side. I never got that swollen, which was a benefit. The feeling of not being able to eat when you were absolutely starving was the hardest part of the entire experience. All I wanted was a ten-piece nugget meal from Mcdonalds’ and pizza.
That was not the case and for four straight days, I had to drink smoothies and eat soup. That gets very old and tiring quickly.
I am now over a week recovered, and I am back to eating somewhat normal and the pain is almost at a zero. The stitches are still in, which is the only thing I can still feel from the procedure. If anyone does not have to get them removed, I highly suggest not getting them removed because if you like to eat as I do, you will be miserable.
I am glad that this is over and that I do not have to go through that again.
Unless….. That bottom right one starts to act up. Then there’s going to be a problem.
Luis Ruiz is currently a Sophomore at Mercy College. He is currently enrolled in the Media Studies major here at Mercy while pursuing his dream of being...