Earlier this year, I went to the dentist for my general teeth checkup and cleaning. Afterward, I was given another dental appointment for one of the biggest procedures I’ve been avoiding – wisdom teeth removal.
I was informed that I needed two of my bottom wisdom teeth removed. Based on the X-rays, they were both growing diagonally towards the tooth in front of them, thus creating discomfort on my gums.
About three months go by, and I have not heard from the dental clinic, so I was kind of hoping that the procedure would be postponed. Alas, by early September, I get a call informing me that there is a slot available 3 DAYS LATER for the extraction appointment.
As much as I wanted to come up with the biggest excuse of my life, that two-second hesitation had me agreeing to get it over with.
And thus begins the extraction experience.
Having Two of my Wisdom Teeth Pulled Out
PRE-PROCEDURE
As I had only three days before my appointment, I had a lot of things I needed to get done because I wasn’t sure how much pain and discomfort I’d feel after.
One of the first things I did was to get soft foods – bananas, yogurt, and soup were my main food choices. I then scrambled to get other important tasks done.
Hours before my procedure, I ate a hefty solid breakfast of rice, scrambled eggs, and sausage.
I arrived at the dental office about 30 minutes before my appointment time because I had to fill out the necessary paperwork.
One piece of information that surprised me was the addition of a Bone Graft procedure. Bone Graft is a “surgical procedure that uses the transplanted bone to repair and rebuild diseased or damaged bones” (John Hopkins Medicine). In my case, they were going to use my extracted teeth remnants as the transplanted bone to be placed in the space left by them.
The Bone Graft procedure caught me off guard because I was only informed of it minutes before my wisdom teeth procedure. It is not part of my insurance plan, so I had to pay out of pocket – and it’s not a low price to pay. I asked if I could do it another time, but the way the dentist spoke to me, it was as if I had no choice but to go through with the plan and pay the dues right there. I was tired and extremely nervous about the procedure, and I felt pressured.
But I thought that if it’s beneficial for me in the long run, as claimed by the dentist, I figured it would be worth it. So I went through with the Bone Graft procedure.
Before the procedure began, my blood pressure was taken, and boy was it off the charts. I was extremely nervous that I felt my legs shaking, and we hadn’t even started.
PROCEDURE
The moment arrived.
During the first half of the procedure, Cheaper by the Dozen was playing on the screen in front of me, so I was glad for some distraction.
The doctor injected my bottom gums with one shot of anesthesia. We waited for it to kick in. Before she began, I was given headphones to listen to the movie better and hopefully not hear what was going on inside my mouth (which didn’t work a bit because I still heard everything).
A while after the doctor began extracting the right side of my tooth, I was feeling the pain, so I had to give them the signal they suggested I do for them to stop (lift my hand). They knew the signal meant that I was feeling discomfort and pain, so the doctor immediately injected another shot of anesthesia into my gum, waited a bit, and began extracting again.
Surprisingly, my right wisdom tooth was extracted, and the Bone Graft was completed in what felt like 20 minutes. I was given about 2 minutes to rest before the doctor began on my left tooth.
Similar to the right side, I felt the pain almost immediately after they began and signaled the doctor. She injected another shot of anesthesia on that side.
My left side took much longer to extract. I heard my doctor saying they had to cut my tooth in half or slices to get it out. After what felt like forever, my left side was done as well.
After about 1.5 hours, the procedure was complete.
I was given an ice bag to switch between my cheeks, a doctor’s prescription for medicine and mouthwash, and instructions on how to care for my teeth. I was then booked for a post-surgery appointment one week later.
All throughout the procedure, my legs shook like crazy, no matter how hard I tried to calm down. My hands were also balled up in fists that the doctor had to laughingly release them when we were done.
I did hear the drilling and the cracking of my teeth, but other than the initial pain I felt at the beginning of each tooth, I didn’t feel any other pain. They inserted a mouth guard object to keep my mouth open, so it was easy for me to relax my jaw.
My doctor was very attentive and obviously knew what she was doing. She was serious about the important things, but her voice was calming throughout the procedure. She listened to and kept in mind my concerns, which I greatly appreciated.
POST-PROCEDURE
Day 1: Right after my procedure, I went to the grocery store next door to get ice cream, more soup, and ingredients to make a Strawberry Banana smoothie. I then visited two pharmacies to get my prescriptions (the first one didn’t have what was listed).
After about another hour (the lines were extremely long in both pharmacies), I got my things and headed home.
At this point, my jaw felt very sore, and I was very tired. I needed to change the gauze in my mouth about 30 minutes prior. By the time I changed them, they were soaked in blood. I changed my gauze about three more times before the bleeding decreased enough for me to not use gauze anymore.
Also, I was visited by Mother Nature’s monthly gift. So, yay! (Please note the sarcasm.)
I ate ice cream about five hours after my procedure and drank lots of water.
I was not allowed to brush my teeth that first night, and I couldn’t spit for about three days.
Before going to bed, I took Tylenol PM because I was worried that when the anesthesia wears off, the pain might hit me full-on in the middle of the night and I didn’t want that (I took Tylenol PM for the first three nights after having my teeth removed). I also placed a hand towel on the side of my face that I often sleep on in case any blood or other liquid escapes my mouth throughout the night even though I had to sleep on my back (and luckily no spillage ever happened).
Day 2: My mouth was not having it. I could barely talk, let alone smile. My cheeks felt and looked swollen. Not to mention that I was also on my period, so I was not only feeling pain on my face but on my stomach and back as well. At this point, I wanted to cry and throw a fit, whichever came first.
I stayed in bed reading, watching, playing Genshin Impact, anything that didn’t involve me doing anything too physical with my body.
Day 3: I was able to talk a bit more, but my cheeks were more swollen.
Day 4-5: Simply recovering. Swelling on my cheeks had gone down and I could make full conversations. I was still eating soft foods though.
Throughout the week, I brushed my teeth softly once a day (at night) because it was difficult not spitting. I also felt extremely weak because I was eating much less than what my body is used to, and the foods I was eating were mostly liquids. Plus, I was also recovering from my monthly visitor.
Day 6: The day of my post-surgery appointment. I arrived 15 minutes before my time, waited about another 30 minutes, and was finally taken in for X-Rays of my mouth, which took another 20 minutes because they couldn’t get the proper shots. Finally, I was seen by the doctor (different from the one who performed the procedure) and was informed that everything is healing well. I could spit too.
I would’ve asked more questions, but another poor patient service unfortunately occurred. As the doctor was still talking to me, an assistant dentist interrupted and asked about another patient. The doctor then just left without as much as a “bye.” I thought she would come back, but the assistant said that’s it for my appointment.
About an hour of waiting and doing pre-procedural tasks, only to have about seven minutes with the doctor and not even get most of my questions answered.
Not the best experience.
For a couple of days after my post-appointment, I began using the mouthwash that was prescribed to me earlier. During this time, my mouth was releasing a horrible stench coming from the spaces where my wisdom teeth used to be. It was bad. The odor lasted about five days. Even then, I continued using the mouthwash twice a day after brushing my teeth until the container was empty.
3 weeks later: I began eating more solid foods, such as bread, pasta, and rice. I still avoided chips and other crunchy food.
1 month later: My mouth feels fully healed and back to normal. I’m eating a ton of more food now too.
Overall, my experience with having my wisdom teeth removed wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
I was able to get through it with little obstacles and on my own as well. The recovery process also helped me recharge my mind and body as I felt myself running low on fuel weeks prior to my procedure.
I’m thankful for having the opportunity to get my wisdom teeth removed and for going through a successful recovery process.
Let's Chat!
Have you gotten your wisdom teeth removed? If so, what was your favorite and least favorite of your procedure and/or recovery process?
