Bint Bob Abroad: Report from the "Wisdom Teeth" trenches

I am writing up this blog entry 24 hours post wisdom teeth-extraction surgery. Since I had a lot of fear and anxiety and most of all questions, I'm going to take a few minutes to report on my experience.

If you continue to read down to the bottom, there are PHOTOGRAPHIC REWARDS!

In regards to the Peace Corps:

It has been approximately a year since I turned in my dental part of my Peace Corps application, and last month they sent me a follow-up. With the leave date getting closer, I have decided to finish fixing my teeth before I get my next dental X-ray.

Most people get their 3rd molars (wisdom teeth) taken out because they are impacted--the bone has started to grow over those teeth that are last to grow. It can be dangerous, and lead to infection. My teeth were not entirely impacted, but the gum had grown over a lot of my top molars, and some of the bone had started to grow up around my lower teeth.

Although there was not any immediate danger, at some point in the next few years they could easily become infected. Since I will be living in Morocco and I would rather not have the surgery there, my mom and oral surgeon agreed that it was a necessary evil.

On to the actual surgical consult:

At the consultation meeting, my oral surgeon gave me 3 prescriptions: 1 for a medical mouthwash, to begin 2 days leading up the surgery. 1 for the pain (generic Vicodin); and 1 bottle of a kind of steroids to prevent swelling, to be taken every morning and evening for 3 days.

The oral surgeon gave me two options-- to have local anesthesia and be awake for the surgery (hellllls no!) or to have an IV put in my arm with a mix of 5 different medicines. My mother did not want me to go under; I wanted to be out of it completely. We came to a compromise, and she was able to come in with me as long as I could get the IV. I won.

You are not allowed to eat for 6 hours previously, and drink water for 2 hours up to the surgery. I made my appointment for 8 AM on Friday (yesterday), and my mom drove me as my Designated Driver.

At the office:

Once at the office, we waited and waited for the nurses to call me in. I am usually good at making people laugh at stupid jokes (very stupid jokes), but these ladies had no sense of humor. Should have brought them coffee, instead of jokes.

They let us in, led us to the back room which had a gorgeous view of the mountains. The office was located on the 5th floor, and with the layout of the Rockies right out that window, I almost didn't want to go to sleep. Almost. I have attempted to donate blood at least 12 times, and probably donated 8, but I still have not gotten used to having a needle poke my arm. The staff was nice about my whining, and soon I was off to la-la land.

I woke up, and I was a little bit confused. My mom told me that I had woken up very quickly from the surgery, and it hadn't taken more than 25 minutes. I saw the mountains over my shoulder, and I pointed frantically at the most astounding view you'll ever find post-surgical procedure. They told me I could talk if I wanted, but it felt like my mouth was frozen, and I tried to sign with them instead. The nurse became very frustrated with me, and indignantly said something along the lines of "I don't know Sign" at least 3 times.

It also may have been hard to remember an instruction in my head for the first ten minutes...

Post-surgery breakdown:

About 15/20 minutes after the surgery (not exactly sure how long, I was out of it), the nurse helped me swing my legs over the side and into a wheelchair. Went down the elevator, and got in the car with my mom. Completely groggy and out of it, but my feet were working well enough on their own when I got home to walk--carefully--on the ice that's outside of my house.

I had prepared/called a corner of our sofa as mine for the day as I had been forewarned the first 24 hours I would be completely incapacitated. About 30 minutes after I got home, my mom took the gauze out of my mouth (45 minutes absorption minimum) and there was no bleeding for the rest of the day.

I slept until around noon, and I woke up to find my face still numbed up and feeling swollen, and in a level of pain around a 6 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the high end. I think I was more shocked than in pain, but my mom gave me an ibuprofen. I hate to say it, but I have to be honest here... I am a PAIN IN THE BUTT when I am in any kind of pain. Especially when I can't control it by stretching that area of my body.

My mother made me an omelet and put it on the table when I told her I wasn't hungry at all. After about 30 minutes, my dog discovered the omelet and ate half. I guess she (Layla) had an appetite, at least. She also made me fresh squeezed orange juice with a straw. DON'T USE A STRAW for the first few days or anything with a sucking faculty, such as a water-bottle. It has the potential to tear out the stitches. I tried sipping the orange juice from the glass, but the pulp kept getting caught in the back of my mouth.

I took my first Vicodin at 1:30 PM, and started alternating ice packs on both my cheeks for approximately 10 minutes on, 20 minutes off.

The back of my throat started bothering me around 2 or 3 PM.

I watched Indiana Jones, some country movie, and had a bite of homemade applesauce my mom made me. Around 5:30, my mouth started to bother me again, so I took pill number 2. (The instruction says every 4-6 hours as needed)

Around 9 PM, my mom made an amazing dinner with homemade pasta and homemade sauce, tofu, salmon, salad, and cinnamon braided bread. I was able to stomach 2 pieces of pasta, and sauntered back to the sofa, complaining about my head. At this point, the numbness of my face was down to right around my mouth, no longer stretching all the way up to my ears and down to my chin.

My oral surgeon called around this time to check in on me. I asked him my questions, and he was emphatic about the necessity to drink tons of water. I finally emptied the single water-bottle that had been sitting in front of me all day, at his urging.

In order to take my steroid pill, I need to have some food in my tummy, so I finished off the applesauce, took my pill and went to bed.

24 Hours Later:

Now, 24 hours later when I should be starting to get the swollen chipmunk cheeks, there is no sign of swelling or pain. Maybe a level of 2, but only because I can feel the sides of my mouth.

I am using a syringe filled with warm water to spray the areas in the back of my mouth 3-4 times a day. It's the best way to clean out the food that gets caught back there as you are able to eat more solid food. (Like the omelet I made myself this morning that my dog did NOT get at!)

I am incredibly thankful for my oral surgeon and all the medications he gave me, as I have been called in to watch small children for the next few days, when the internet has told me I should still be out of it.

My advice:

DRINK LOTS OF WATER

Don't expect to move except from the sofa/bed you are on to the bathroom.

There are probably a lot of other reflections I could give, but for now, after the first 24 hours, I feel 90% improvement. If you were directed to this page because of worries about your surgery, GOOD LUCK.

Here is the advice from the site I followed in conjunction with what my oral surgeon told me:

In most cases, the recovery period lasts only a few days. Take painkillers as prescribed by your dentist or oral surgeon. The following tips will help speed your recovery.

-Bite gently on the gauze pad periodically, and change pads as they become soaked with blood. Call your dentist or oral surgeon if you still have bleeding 24 hours after your surgery.
-While your mouth is numb, be careful not to bite the inside of your cheek or lip, or your tongue.
-Do not lie flat. This may prolong bleeding. Prop up your head with pillows.
-Try using an ice pack on the outside of your cheek for the first 24 hours. You can use moist heat-such as a washcloth soaked in warm water and wrung out-for the following 2 or 3 days.
-Relax after surgery. Physical activity may increase bleeding.
-Eat soft foods, such as gelatin, pudding, or a thin soup. Gradually add solid foods to your diet as healing progresses.
-Do not use a straw for the first few days. Sucking on a straw can loosen the blood clot and delay healing.
-After the first day, gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water several times a day to reduce swelling and relieve pain.
-Do not smoke for at least 24 hours after your surgery. The sucking motion can loosen the clot and delay healing. In addition, smoking decreases the blood supply and can bring germs and contaminants to the surgery area.
-Avoid rubbing the area with your tongue or touching it with your fingers.
-Continue to brush your teeth and tongue carefully.

Your dentist will remove the stitches after a few days, if needed.

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/wisdom-tooth-extraction

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Conclusion and reflection, 48 hours later:

I am very pleased that I made the decision to go ahead and get my wisdom teeth removed in the U.S. When the oral surgeon had originally looked at my teeth, he warned me there was a chance that the positioning of the 3rd molars could become an infection over the next two years. Despite the fact that I believe I will LOVE my station in Morocco, I was not altogether prepared to have surgery abroad. 48 hours later, because of the steroids, I do not have the typical puffy cheeks and I was able to be up and moving around within 24 hours.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or I'm obviously missing something important (I was on drugs, after all) please feel free to let me know. :)