Struggles Only People
Who Had Their Wisdom Teeth Removed
Will Understand
By Andy Flores
Okay, so, nothing can prepare you for the pain that comes with getting your third molars a.k.a. wisdom teeth removed. Remnants of faulty evolution in some human bodies, wisdom teeth – more often than not – have to be pulled out, especially if they’re causing you discomfort, growing in a certain angle they shouldn’t be, or if your jaw can no longer accommodate any more teeth.
Before you undergo surgery, you’ve probably been told that it would hurt after the anesthetics wear off. But until you experience it yourself, you wouldn’t really realize how much it actually hurts: a lot.
The pain is just the beginning of your week-long suffering, though. Dealing with it while trying to recover is a different kind of hell, too. Let me walk you through it:
1. SO. MUCH. BLOOD.
If you think the bleeding would stop when you get home after your surgery, you’re wrong. The socket where your wisdom tooth used to be will keep bleeding even after a day, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
2. The food restrictions
You’re not allowed to eat solid and hot food (among many others) in the next couple of days, so that means a lot of cold soup, oatmeal, yogurt, and ice cream, which isn’t that bad, really, until you see your family and friends mercilessly devouring the good stuff like pizza or fried chicken in front of you.
3. Okay, screw food restrictions – you can barely open your mouth!
Everything that came so easily and so naturally to you before, like opening your mouth, chewing, and swallowing, now feel like an Olympic sport. And not to mention, you have to take care of the stitches! Yes, there will be stitches in your mouth to hold your gums together (they’ve been sliced open earlier so the surgeon could access the tooth) until they heal.
4. But you still have to eat somehow because you’ll have to take some meds.
To prevent infection, your dentist or surgeon will most likely prescribe you some antibiotics, which you can’t take without eating at least a little. So whether you like it or not, you gotta eat up.
5. Sleeping on your side could be a problem.
If you’re a staunch side-sleeper, you might have some trouble falling asleep after your surgery. You see, to quell excessive blood flow from the tooth sockets, you’ll have to sleep upright with your head elevated. It’s not like you have several options of sleeping positions, anyway. With your face sore and swollen, there’s no way you can sleep with it pressed against a pillow – no matter how soft your pillow is.
6. You never thought brushing your teeth could be so difficult.
Getting your toothbrush inside your mouth is one thing. Brushing your good teeth while avoiding the wound and stitches is the real deal, and you just have to do it.
7. “Will my jaw ever go back to normal??”
The answer is yes. But when you’ve just had your wisdom teeth removed, the answer feels more like a no. After your surgery, your jaw will start to feel stiff and no amount of massaging will seem to help. Moreover, the swelling will make you look like a chipmunk with a stuffed face, and there’s this constant threat of people trying to give your cheeks a playful pinch.
8. People who never had a wisdom tooth removed telling you not to overreact because “It couldn’t be that painful.”
Excuse you.
Had your wisdom tooth removed? Share with us your pain below!
