Life Experience Ahoy!

So, Kent goes to the dentist, for the first time in many moons, because Kent a.) dislikes spending money on such concerns and b.) has had no ill effects (up until the toothache that precipitated this visit). "Well, as long as we're in here, let's go ahead and do a cleaning etc.." says Dr. Wisdom* The nice hygienist lady proceeds to start jabbing her little vibro-lance into my gums, at one point actually drilling into my sinuses, until the old choppers are as clean and shiny as can be expected on someone with the aforementioned avoidance of professional dental care. At this point, the Doc is summoned back to check out the X-rays and whatnot, and he starts his tappity-tappity routine on my freshly assaulted teeth.

The results- I have four minor cavities, all of which are on my upper wisdom teeth. The tricky part - rather than trying to access, drill, and fill the teeth, we're going to be extracting them. That's right, the same wisdom teeth which breezed into residence in my mouth 8 years ago are scheduled for the old yankeroo on September 16th.**

Now, all the 18 and 19 year olds in the audience are going "You big wuss, suck it up." However, here's the deal. I used to be a paramedic, I worked in a hospital lab, I did my college work-study in the Dept. of Lab Med and Pathology. I have seen things done to people, both intentionally and unitnentionally, that have left little mystery to the inner workings and structure of the body human. However, the most invasive procedure I have ever undergone was two absorbing sutures beneath the cutaneous set on a nasty puncture/cut thing in 8th grade. In fact, that's the only sort of formal procedure which I have endured. So this is kind of weighing on my mind, because now it's happening to me. And I realize that we're not talking about a heart and lung transplant, but still. Also, I've never had any painkiller stronger than 800mg ibuprofen, or anaesthetic stronger than lidocaine local, and now it look slike I'll be getting both at the same time.

So, commiserations, tales of wisdom tooth extraction, and general "suck-it-up" type comments are welcome.

Also, if you find yourself in a case where I would preside in the week following, may God have mercy on your soul. Unless I'm jacked up on narcotics.






*Irony being a hobby of the dentistry gods and all.

** Trying to schedule an oral surgeon who only works weekends around a work schedule over a department that hates to work weekends is a bit tough.

Yikes. You'll get some good narcotics but it is still going to not feel good. Also have fun trying to eat stuff. Ice cream and jello diet ahoy!

In the words of Platoon's Sgt. Barnes; Take the pain! Take it!

Not that you have much of a choice, I guess. My sympathies, Byard.

I had my wisdom teeth out, and all I did, and I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP:

Eat mashed potatoes, ice cream, and watch the four Lethal Weapon movies for about 4 days.

OPArsenal:

I had my wisdom teeth out, and all I did, and I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP:

Eat mashed potatoes, ice cream, and watch the four Lethal Weapon movies for about 4 days.

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That sounds like my life.

Democratic Donkeys:

Yikes. You'll get some good narcotics but it is still going to not feel good. Also have fun trying to eat stuff. Ice cream and jello diet ahoy!

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Thanks for reminding me of that, DD.

So, what are we thinking last meal wise? I'm leaning toward a bacon double cheeseburger, toasted bun and all, and a pile of onion rings.

Option 2 - steak frites.

Option 3, thirty-four pounds of beef jerky. Get all my chewing done in advance.


I will, however, stock up on pudding cups, ice cream, and Gatorade beforehand.

Byardkuria:

So, what are we thinking last meal wise? I'm leaning toward a bacon double cheeseburger, toasted bun and all, and a pile of onion rings.

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Bison burger. Hellz yes.

You could still eat bacon cheeseburgers thanks to the modern kitchen appliance called the blender!

Democratic Donkeys:

You could still eat bacon cheeseburgers thanks to the modern kitchen appliance called the blender!

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I've always wanted to try something like this. Really, I have.

My mother-in-law fell off of a ladder while cleaning gutters in mid-October 5 years or so back, and eneded up with a broken wrist and a jaw that had to be wired shut. We tried that blender thing at Thanksgiving.

That is not a route I will be taking, although I thank you for your suggestion.

Heh. Someone in my marching band JUST had them out. Good news is, you lose some weight on the diet of applesauce and pudding. Bad news is, your mouth hurts like a ***** for a while.

I'll ask them for the advice tommorrow.

Ok, according to afore-mentioned band member, you should:

- Have some ice ready to keep the swelling down
- Have some salt water ready for you to gargle. Apparently this cleans out the wounds and helps them to heal better - if you don't do this, you risk it closing up at the top, with a large gap left in your gum which could be infected. The salt water help it heal from the bottom up, eliminating that gap.

And my advice: Don't ask the doctors what they're putting into your IV - they will lie to you. When I had surgery last year, I was told that he was adding a pain-killer. That was the last thing I remembered before the surgery.
Also, if the doctor has no objections to it, take some aspirin or some other painkiller before the procedure. It takes some time to kick in and you don't want to be in pain for half an hour after the hospital anesthetic wears off.

Well, I had both a root canal thing and one wisdom teeth removal last year, and while neither was very pleasant, I was actually amazed at how quick it went. Especially the removal. I'd taken the entire afternoon off, having been warned that this might take 3-4 hours. I was out after about 20 minutes, including waiting for the anesthetic to take effect.

So depending on how the tooth is set in the jaw (and depending on how good the dentist is) it can be ridiculously easy or nasty as all hell. Also, my dentist couldn't predict how long it was going to take (he was as surpriseda as I was), so the worried face he puts on as he looks at it doesn't have to mean anything.

--

But the time after the surgery are hell. It'll take hours for the bleeding to stop, and you'll probably have a headache for days. My sympathies, Byard.

Bring a book to read.

It is done.

I have gauze in my mouth, a nasty jawache, and that crunching noise forever in my mind.

However, I did just take my first Percocet, so the time to request a ruling on something is nigh.

I had all 4 of my wisdoms removed at once. Was not fun by any means. Can't answer for anyone else, everyone is different, but I was in pain for at least a week.
My cheeks puffed out so basically I looked like one of the chipmunks. All you can do is eat jello, ice cream, pudding, and drink a lot. Homemade milkshakes are good too.

Good luck!!!!

5 hours postop -

Just dropped Percocet 2, but am thinking I may need to go to a q 3-4h scheduling since it was essentially gone by the 4 hour mark.

Tooth 1 feels just nifty.

Tooth 16 is definitely feeling the aftereffects of the small, albeit precise, team of oxen required to wrest it from my maxilla. Anytime the dentist has to brace afoot on the arm of the chair, it bodes.

Not to make a stir but when you got to wear dentures due to bad teeth (inherited)
<< has such things life really sucks, unless you like freaking people out with them (I do) but it still sucks. So hang in there Byardkuria be DAMN glad you have yours!!?!!