Sans wisdom teeth...success!
So I survived my dental surgery! Largely unsurprising, perhaps, but I'm still relieved. See, in my consultations with the dentist and then the oral surgeon (since there was no way in hell I was getting this done under local anasthetic only, I opted for the latter), scary words like "nerve damage" were bandied about a little more freely than I would have liked. Fortunately, though, despite the very real risk of damage to my inferior alveolar nerve due to the long roots my wisdom teeth had developed, the procedure went off without a hitch, and I have no lingering numbness in my face. SO HAPPY!!!
Now, I just get to chill out for the next little while, take about a billion pills a day (I'm on a magical combination of oxycodone and Advil, plus antibiotics 'cause the infection that first brought my problematic wisdom teeth to my attention back in April apparently never quite cleared up entirely), periodically strap ice to my face (though that's only for the first twenty-four hours, so it ends at noon today), and rinse my mouth out with salt water every hour or two (gross, but beneficial). Other than that, I'm spending most of my time watching random shows on the Food Network (somewhat longingly...), and trying to dream up interesting soft foods to eat (my favourite so far is vanilla yogurt mixed with canned pumpkin and spices...it's like pumpkin pie!).
Overall, this whole experience has thus far been about a hundred billion times less horrible than I was anticipating. Before having the surgery, I think I was mostly panicking because I didn't really know what to expect. I mean, the last time I had any sort of surgery, I was seven, so I wasn't fully appraised of the risks involved. Actually, most of what I remember from my previous surgery experience involves inane details like eating Jell-O the day before, wearing green striped pyjamas, bringing Furry (my favourite stuffed animal) with me, and being given gingerale and an orange popsicle in the recovery room. Not exactly panic-inducing stuff. This time, though, I was painfully aware of everything that could possibly go wrong thanks to the surgeon, the internet, horror stories from friends, etc.
The other thing that bothered me about this wisdom tooth situation is how terribly unfair it seemed. I mean, yes, I know, life is unfair, but I've always been a little obsessive about my oral hygiene, and I had consequently managed to escape any sort of major dental intervention up until this point. I've never even had a cavity, for heaven's sake (*knocks on wood*)! I did have one adult tooth that grew in with a small defect (sort of a groove where part of the tooth failed to form), but it was so shallow that the dentist filled it without even needing to freeze my gums. So compared to my previous dental-related experiences, this surgery business was one hell of a big deal!
Anyway, in conclusion, all is well. From here on in, it's all relaxing and feeling progressively better!
Now, I just get to chill out for the next little while, take about a billion pills a day (I'm on a magical combination of oxycodone and Advil, plus antibiotics 'cause the infection that first brought my problematic wisdom teeth to my attention back in April apparently never quite cleared up entirely), periodically strap ice to my face (though that's only for the first twenty-four hours, so it ends at noon today), and rinse my mouth out with salt water every hour or two (gross, but beneficial). Other than that, I'm spending most of my time watching random shows on the Food Network (somewhat longingly...), and trying to dream up interesting soft foods to eat (my favourite so far is vanilla yogurt mixed with canned pumpkin and spices...it's like pumpkin pie!).
Overall, this whole experience has thus far been about a hundred billion times less horrible than I was anticipating. Before having the surgery, I think I was mostly panicking because I didn't really know what to expect. I mean, the last time I had any sort of surgery, I was seven, so I wasn't fully appraised of the risks involved. Actually, most of what I remember from my previous surgery experience involves inane details like eating Jell-O the day before, wearing green striped pyjamas, bringing Furry (my favourite stuffed animal) with me, and being given gingerale and an orange popsicle in the recovery room. Not exactly panic-inducing stuff. This time, though, I was painfully aware of everything that could possibly go wrong thanks to the surgeon, the internet, horror stories from friends, etc.
The other thing that bothered me about this wisdom tooth situation is how terribly unfair it seemed. I mean, yes, I know, life is unfair, but I've always been a little obsessive about my oral hygiene, and I had consequently managed to escape any sort of major dental intervention up until this point. I've never even had a cavity, for heaven's sake (*knocks on wood*)! I did have one adult tooth that grew in with a small defect (sort of a groove where part of the tooth failed to form), but it was so shallow that the dentist filled it without even needing to freeze my gums. So compared to my previous dental-related experiences, this surgery business was one hell of a big deal!
Anyway, in conclusion, all is well. From here on in, it's all relaxing and feeling progressively better!