Contrary to popular belief, my mouth isn't particularly big. In fact, it would appear its not big enough to comfortably hold all the teeth in my head. After several weeks of intense discomfort I could no longer avoid the inevitable - thus a dental consultation ensued and its been determined my badly impacted wisdom teeth must be removed.
Now this may not constitute a traumatic event to some, but I have an aversion to dentistry that borders on phobia. For heaven's sake, I break into a cold sweat when I see my dentist in the grocery store. No amount of laughing gas is sufficient to ease my tension (once, during a routine cavity filling, I gripped the arm of the dental chair to the extent it literally broke).
Notwithstanding the dentist's assurances that I'll be completely sedated during the extractions, the prospect of this surgery has me somewhat in a dither. My own dentist refuses to perform the task (I think he holds a grudge over the chair breaking incident), so he's referred me to a specialist whose motto is "We Cater to Cowards". Yes, I freely admit to being a complete and total dental weenie. I won't even go into how the sound of a dental drill affects me other than to mention how, prior to dental appointments, its prudent for me to dip into the box of "Depends" I keep on hand for my Aunt Milly's visits. Let's just say I withstand broken bones, childbirth, migraine headaches and the passing of kidney stones with relative ease compared to having needles jabbed into my gums and sharp instruments probing my quivering mouth.
Having said that, I prefer to be fully prepared when contemplating things of an unpleasant nature (sort of a "hope for the best, but expect the worst" outlook). I'd much rather know what I'm up against than be lulled into a false sense of security only to be sorely disappointed (my mum prepared me for labour by telling me it was similar to a bad "tummy ache"). At this point a few people have told me it'll be a breeze, but these are the kind of people who describe their semi-annual scaling and polishing as "relaxing" (these same people also admit to enjoying camping in minus 30 degree weather).
So here I am, appealing to you to relate your experiences. Go ahead, be honest - if it ranks up there as one of the most irksome experiences of your life, let me know the worst case scenario (i.e. excessive bleeding, post-op pain and/or infection, severe swelling, multiple stitches and dry socket stories are allowed). On the other hand, if you survived it with nary an interruption to your life, then I implore you to let me know!
I have a few specific queries: My information is that removal of wisdom teeth is easier to bear when done at an early age (i.e. before 30). Anyone here have it done near the half-century mark? How many days should I expect to take off work for recovery? How long will it effect a moderate exercise program? When can I expect to eat solid foods again? Did anyone's significant other express the opinion that they were strangely aroused by chipmunk cheeks?
I'm trying to look on the bright side - maybe I'll drop a few pounds in the process.