“People will pay you to be inhumane”
2008-03-25 | Filed under Life |
Yesterday I had two wisdom teeth yanked out of my head.
They were on the top, one on each side of my mouth. They came in at a really funky angle that was impossible to clean and occasionally uncomfortable. I am happy to be rid of them.
The process was not fun. In fact, I’d say it was the worst procedure I’ve ever experienced while conscious. The dentist pulled the one on the left first—afterward he said he started there because it looked easier—and it took some time. He ended up having to break it into four or five main pieces. I gather the fact that it was rife with cavities made it tougher to get a good grip. A couple times I caught a loose piece and extended my tongue so he could remove it.
He’d warned about the noises, but it was still really disturbing to hear him digging around in there. When he snapped the tooth, it was loud but easy to envision. The worst part was imagining what might happen if he slipped. I imagined serious damage to my other teeth, torn membranes, broken bone, shredded sinuses.
I spent a lot of time clutching the chair, crossing and uncrossing my legs, and a couple times he stopped to see if I was okay. At which point I would explain I was merely freaked out, not in pain (the local anesthetic worked as advertised, and while I could feel the promised pressure I didn’t have any problem dealing with it), and that unless I raised my hand he should ignore any physical expressions of unhappiness.
Eventually he got it out. And the second one took like a minute and a half. It didn’t quite pop out, but it came close (certainly by comparison).
Jokes about sadistic dentists aside, I like my guy. He actually called and left a voicemail last night to follow up and make sure things were okay. (They were: OTC painkillers were sufficient, though my mouth was sore. I used it as an excuse to take it easy and eat ice cream for dinner.)
Of course, I’m also favorably disposed toward him because he’s given me mostly good news, even when I don’t deserve it. I let over ten years elapse before seeing a dentist. (That was just me being irresponsible. I don’t like having somebody stick pointy things in my mouth, but I’ve never been afraid of dentists. And for the bulk of my adult life I’ve had dental insurance. So there was really no excuse.) I needed two fillings, which went in a month or so ago and match my enamel pretty well. And there’s one more wisdom tooth on my lower jaw, which my dentist doesn’t want to touch; I’ve been referred to an oral surgeon, but since it isn’t causing any actual problems right now I’m not too concerned. But apparently my gums are healthy, and that’s his main concern.
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Hmmm I glad I was not conscious for mine…
I tried the unconscious route and it was worse. Better to know it hurts and take pain medication afterwards.
Nice to know that the “freak out” is not just me. One time I had to have a tooth pulled. I cried. Not because it hurt or the pressure I felt. It was because it’s just freaking wierd (and medieval-like) when they pull a tooth out of your head.
Glad it’s over for you.