After 12 years of my dentist gently suggesting that I have my wisdom teeth removed, I finally made the decision to get them out.
Now when I was 18 I had a consultation to get my wisdom teeth out but after waiting 2 hours for the doctor, I got up and left. ::Shrug:: They never bothered me and I didn’t see the point of getting them out. I always thought ” don’t poke the sleeping bear”. Well, fast forward to 2020, my wisdom teeth finally say “WE’RE DONE!”
After my dentist appointment at the end of September, I had a choice- he could fill the cavity in my wisdom tooth (for the 5th time) or I could get a consultation and see what the Oral Surgeon had to say. Well after realizing how much another filling would cost, I decided to research the two oral surgeons that my dentist recommended. Was I happy about this? eh, but I knew they would have to come out at some point.
I did my research (with mom’s help)(Where would I be without my mom?!) and decided on a doctor who had impressive schooling and was with a group that came highly recommended. The earliest appointment I could get was a month away at this point. I thought to myself, okay gab, you are just going in for a consult, you have a choice here and if you don’t like what he has to say, then you don’t go back.
Consultation
As I waited the month, I really didn’t think about it, I didn’t talk about it and when the day finally came, I was a bit nervous. The appointment was in the afternoon and all morning at work, I tried to keep busy but my mind kept wandering to the appointment. I had my parents meet me at the doctors office because I know if I get overwhelmed, I tend to black out and not remember anything.
As usual, I got there 45 minutes early- I didn’t know how traffic was going to be or if I was going to get lost but none the less, I got there early. I drove around the complex, found the entrance, saw some pretty trees, and parked to wait patiently for my parents to arrive. I tried to distract myself by reading but I found it really hard to concentrate.
When my parents arrived, I was so glad to see them. I was super nervous at this point. My mom and I walked in and my dad stayed behind in the car. It was such an unusually warm day for October and the only place I wanted to be was outside, not going into a doctors office.
My mom and I found the office and it said to call once I was outside the door. I called and they said they had room for us and we could come in. We had to fill out a questionnaire- asking us how we were feeling, if we came in contact with a positive case of COVID and the like. We finished those and then we waited.
I was surprise the waiting room was kinda small. There was an older lady by herself waiting, a young girl and her mom and then a young boy with his mom. The two young people with their moms, were all on their phones. My mom and I did not have our phones out and we were quietly chatting and observing what was going on.
After a while, they called me back to take a panoramic x-ray for the doctor to look at my teeth. It was the coolest thing ever. The camera moved around me and I was amazed by it. I went back to the waiting room for a few more minutes until they had a room ready for me. They were super busy.
The assistant brought us back to the room and she showed us the x-ray. I was so enthralled by it. You saw ALL your teeth. It was weird and interesting. The assistant said we had to watch a video that would explain the process. She said it was like a 80’s health class video and it was a bit dated but the information was still applicable.
We sat through the ridiculous video that really was made in the 80’s and I felt that the video scared me more than it helped me. They presented all the worse case scenarios and if I was there by myself, I would have bolted out the door and never looked back. it was that bad.
The surgeon came in not too shortly after the video ended and he had a calming demeanor. We chatted for a bit, he looked at my teeth, the x-ray and then told me what his thoughts were. He said the two that are visible in my mouth, should come out; especially since the one has a giant hole (cavity) in it. I totally agreed. The other two are impacted and more complicated. He said its up to me what I wanted to do. I told him that I would like to remove the two that are visible and then we will watch the two impacted ones. He agreed (PHEW!) and I was off to pay and schedule the procedure.
I was really hoping that they could schedule me the week of October 19th, but I knew in the back of my mind it was a long shot. I am in the midst of a very busy season at work and this throws a little bit of craziness in the mess. The office did not have an opening for the week I wanted but they did have an opening for the 29th. I jumped and took that on. Then reality set in, I’m getting (two of) my wisdom teeth out in two weeks! EEK.
I left the appointment with mama feeling nervous but hopeful. She had the same feeling I did about the doctor- how calm and personable he was. She also liked the fact he gave me control with the decision and he didn’t tell me what to do, he provided me options. We got back to the car, filled daddy in with everything and then we were off.
One week out
Yikes, I started thinking about the procedure and I have gotten a little nervous. I know this is something that they do often and it is their specialty but its still nerve-wracking. I have been trying my hardest to get everything in order at work,so I am not leaving a mess for my boss who will be covering for me. I have been trying not to think about it or start to worry. I made a list of foods I want to eat next week for mama to pick up. I just pray things go easy and recovery is quick and easy.
Day of
The night before, I could not fall asleep. I don’t know if it was my nerves or what but I am pretty sure I went to bed after 1 AM, which for me is super late. I woke up at 6 and did my normal morning routine sans eating breakfast. I wasn’t nervous but I wasn’t calm either, I felt weirdly in between. I kept saying to myself, “this is good, gab. You will do great and your recovery will be easy.” over and over. I knew having positive thoughts would help me in the end. My parents were my drivers for the day and we left the house at about 8 to get there for 9:10 AM appointment. The traffic was not that bad even for it being rush hour.
When we got to the office, I was instructed to call from the parking lot and I did. Even though, I was about 20 minutes early, they said I could come in. I kissed daddy goodbye and he wished me luck. Me, mom and Penelope headed into the office. Lucky for us, we were the only ones in the waiting room. I filled out some paperwork, paid the balance and sat for about 5 minutes before the nurse came back to get me. I kissed mama goodbye and had my temperature taken (97.8) and I was off.
They brought me back to the same room when I had the consultation. I sat in the chair, signed some more documents and then started to get me all hooked up to the monitors. We started to chat about This is Us and the Bachelorette. At this point, I was calm, which for me is unusual.
The doctor came in a few minutes later and he asked “how was breakfast?” This was a trick question because I didn’t eat anything before the surgery. My answer was “non existent.” He laughed, the nurses laughed and we were on our way. He put the IV in fairly quickly which was a relief. He started the anesthesia and for some reason, I tried to fight it and then BAM! next thing I know, I am in the car on the way home.
Afterwards
I came out of the goofiness of the anesthesia pretty quickly compared to other surgeries I’ve had over the years. I was happy to be on my way home and to be honest, even at this point, I didn’t feel terrible. We stopped at the pharmacy to drop off the prescriptions the doctor gave me to get filled. By the time we pulled in the drive way, it was about 10:30 AM. I was back to my self- getting myself out of the car and into the house. I think my parents were surprised at how ambulatory I was at this point. We honestly didn’t know what to expect- we have only really heard horror stories from my friends when I was younger. After a quick change, I hopped into bed to settle in for a long afternoon of watching terrible daytime TV.
The pain wasn’t that bad and I did exactly what they recommended- putting ice on my face in twenty minute intervals. I think that helped A LOT considering I had minimal swelling to begin with. I was starting to get hungry in the afternoon and I wanted to eat. That is always a great sign. Chocolate pudding tasted SO good at this point. I was very careful not to disturb the stitches where my wisdom teeth were.
That night, I was feeling more life myself. I honestly even considered going to work the next day but I knew I should stay home and relax. I slept like a rock that night. All that nervousness from the morning really wore me out.
I didn’t know what to expect the next day but honestly, I felt pretty great considering I had two teeth out the day before. I still relaxed all day, and still kept to the 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off icing my face. I took a shower and was up out of my bed for a good part of the day.
By Sunday, I couldn’t wait to get back to work. I was feeling great. I had minimal pain and I was back to my old self. I was pretty impressed with my recovery, I had no idea what to expect; the only thing I remembered is horror stories from when my friends got their wisdom teeth out when they were 18.
One week post-op
I am back to my normal self for the most part. A few days last week, by the end of the day, my mouth was really sore after a full day of talking and eating. I still am careful when I am eating but overall, I am back to normal. People are shocked how easy my recovery was and they always say I’ve always heard horror stories about that.
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Being an adult, having my wisdom teeth out was something I knew I had to do but my mind did float back to what my friends in high school experienced. I am so happy that I trusted my gut and went with this oral surgeon. A few people I work with had really good experiences with them as well. Locals, if you are looking for an amazing oral surgeon, go to Coastal Oral Surgery and see Dr. Soliman. I think his knowledge and expertise is what led me to a quick recovery and an easy procedure.
I know the thought of getting your wisdom teeth out is daunting as an adult; when going to an oral surgeon (any doctor really) trust your gut- if you are not getting a good feeling about the doctor, the office, staff- speak up. If your concerns and questions are met with resistance and you are made to feel dumb, get another opinion; your concerns and questions are valid and not stupid.
I hope sharing my experience can help you if you have to get your wisdom teeth out as an adult.
[[if you can’t be kind, be quiet.]]
-gabrielle