~Toothy Reflections
2006-03-22 - 12:17 p.m.

Amber was just saying to me that she doesn't think she ever wants her wisdom teeth out. I remember when Dianne had hers out and it wasn't pretty. Everyone who's had them out seems to like to say how much their cheeks were swollen and how much pain they were in. I used to be sooo glad that I didn't need braces and I didn't need my wisdom teeth out.

After going through this post-op stuff, I'm certainly not even slightly glad that I had to have them out, but I don't regret having them out.

Three out of four of my teeth had "errupted" and it drove me crazy.

Picture sitting in the staffroom, with about 15 minutes to eat to keep your strength up for the rest of the day, and a lot of chatty, friendly people around. Now imagine that every bite you take gets stuck in your back teeth and in the front teeth that have started to get pushed forward by the pressure of the wisdom teeth. Imagine not wanting to even smile, let alone talk, in response to people's comments, in case they see all the food caught. Imagine having to turn to the person next to you while poking your tongue vigorously around the front of all your teeth to try to get gunk out, and imagine trying to surrupticiously stick your nail into your back teeth to remove the stuff caught in the bottom of your wisdom teeth and molars. It was quite socially embarassing, just the daily process of eating.

Then, of course, imagine waking up to agonising pain that reaches from the back of your neck to the top of your head and stems from your impacted tooth that is quite near the nerve. Imagine having your front teeth ache because they're getting pushed further and further out of place. Imagine biting your cheek constantly.

I have already noticed how much easier it is when I'm eating. Now that the swelling's pretty much gone, I'm biting so much more confidently and having so much less trouble with things stuck in my teeth. The pain hasn't gone yet, but all of the muscles are re-knitting and I do have four gaping great big holes in my gums, so I'm assuming that'll all settle down somewhat. The strangest thing is how pointy-out the teeth that are now my back teeth are. They must've slanted a little over my wisdom teeth because now the edges that used to touch the wisdoms are sharper. It's a funny feeling to have them just drop away like the Dover cliffs instead of having the gradation of the partially-grown wisdoms (or the mound of gum pushed up by the wisdom teeth growing underneath).

So, no, I don't want to ever have any teeth out again, but I am very, very glad that I have these ones out. I'm still rather self-conscious about their colour and they're not all lovely and straight as I'd like, but I'm going to have a much smoother ride where my teeth are concerned from now on!