It hasn’t been the best Tuesday so far.
List of Woes
1) I have a very small mouth. (I already knew that.)
2) My upper wisdoms are impacted, but they’re not too terrible.
3) My lower wisdoms are evil.
They have grown in such a way that they’re making the molars next to them essentially useless, as teeth go. They’re pretty in my mouth and all, but they don’t actually get involved in any chewing action. Plus, the wisdom teeth themselves are going to be a bitch to remove. Entangled in nerves and such.
4) If I never have my wisdom teeth out, at some point they’re going to make me miserable for one reason or another. I’m already old for the surgery.
5) The oral surgeon thinks I should have the lower wisdoms out, plus the molars right next to them. This will make the whole operation easier, and I won’t miss those molars, since (see above) they’re not doin’ that thing teeth do.
6) There is approximately a 25% chance that I will experience some numbness in my lips and jaw after the surgery, due to the nerve entanglement joy.
7) There is approximately a 10% chance that this will be permanent.
8) I hate my tiny, tiny mouth.
9) The new doc is going to call my dentist and chat about my mouth and the possibility of cutting it open and taking lots and lots of teeth out of it. It will have to be two separate operations, a couple of months apart, so as to allow me the chance to observe my lips and jaw for any sign of a complete lack of feeling.
10) So… I probably shouldn’t do it before July, I’m thinkin’.
11) I’ll check in with you guys in the fall—maybe I can post the x-ray of my tiny, tiny mouth and my evil teeth.
P.S. The oral surgeon’s office is 5.2 miles away. According to my trip meter, I drove 20 miles today. Boston? You need to sign your streets.
April 26th, 2005 at 7:12 pm
Hi Meera,
I hope all has been going well. And Congratulations! Ethan told me.
Anyway, just wanted to lend my support in this whole wisdom tooth experience. I had mine extracted last summer. Yes, you lose feeling in your jaw/mouth area for about a day, or two, or three, and it’s terrifying. But the experience as a whole wasn’t that bad. Mine were pretty impacted on the bottom, but the novocaine made it virtually pain-free. The best advice I can give you is to temper your pre-surgical imagination. The mind plays funny tricks on you–and could make the experience worse than it really is. Don’t listen to the dental stereotypes! Stay strong! :)
Always,
~Suzanne~
April 26th, 2005 at 8:24 pm
Thank you, sweetie — I’m sure it will be fine, I’m just mad at myself for avoiding the dentist entirely during the years when my teeth were moving in, so to speak. ;-)
Congratulations yourself! Can’t wait to see you (I hope).
April 26th, 2005 at 10:46 pm
Oh dear. I got the too-old speech and the nerve speech as well (though I think my nerve problem isn’t as bad as yours). I think that I’m subconsciously freaking out about it now, because now my wisdom teeth feel all “weird”. I HOPE this is my imagination, because I currently do not have the funds to get them out.
I’m sure everything will work out for you great, no matter when you get them out. Old my foot.
April 27th, 2005 at 9:46 am
I agree with …..
So… I probably shouldn’t do it before July, I’m thinkin’
you are not too old as I was almost 40 when I had my last wisdom tooth out as the cutting surface was facing my cheek and cutting the lining of the cheek to ribbons each time I ate!
it is not as bad as it is made out to be and I recovered fairly quickly and apart from the anesthetic I had little of no
numbness
would you like to have this done in Singapore?
someday soon
writing this the day before I get my stitches removed after my gum surgery as a preparation for a root canal and a crown–hopefully before July.
with love and a toothy grin
April 27th, 2005 at 12:01 pm
I know it’s cruel, but that’s just how I am: I’m picturing you under a chupa in a backyard in Boston, holding flowers (I can’t quite see the dress), and slurring vows, pausing for a moment to wipe the drool from your chin.