Almost every teenager and young adult has had to go through the wonderful procedure of getting their wisdom teeth removed (that is, unless they don’t have any…). It has been a week since I went to the surgeon to get mine out and I feel that since I can finally stop taking painkillers, I am coherent enough to write about my experience and have it make actual sense. I can definitely say that my experience was better than that of many people and that I did not experience any complications, thank goodness. I’m still a little bit sore and swollen, but it gets better with every day. I was lucky that I was given many tips to help me through, so I think that it would only be fair that I share some of them with you.
Eat a lot the night before
My procedure was in the morning and I was instructed not to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before. To try to make up for the fact that I would be unable to have breakfast, I ate a really big supper and I snacked on and off until I went to bed. In the morning, although I was still very hungry, it went better than I had expected. I was also not allowed to even have water after the midnight deadline either. This one is tougher because if you drink a lot before bed, you will more than likely be awakened in the middle of night needing to go to the bathroom. All I can say is to try to push your stomach’s and bladder’s limits before the procedure because it will make matters much easier.
Invest in soup, Jell-o and ice cream
Your diet is really restricted, especially on the first day, where you can’t really eat anything that hasn’t taken a trip through the blender. It’s really important to keep your nutrition up, even if you feel like your face is so swollen that you can’t fit anything in your mouth. Soft foods are really good for this purpose. In the days following your extraction, you can progress onto more solid foods like pasta. However, be warned that smoothies are off of the menu unless you want to eat them with a spoon. You can’t use straws for a week and depending on what you put in your smoothies, the seeds could also pose a problem. Just stick to your pudding and you’ll be fine.
Follow the instructions you are given
In order to make a quick recovery, it is vital that you follow the rules given to you. If you are told to ice your face, do it. If you are told do take a certain medication, take it. If you are told to lay around for a few days and not do anything, do just that. The guidelines that you are given by your dentist or oral surgeon are designed to make things easier for you and following them will make your life a lot easier.
Overall, the whole experience of getting wisdom teeth extracted is not as bad as it seems. Although you can either get them removed under conscious sedation, general anesthetic or local anesthetic if you get them pulled out later in life, the recovery process is fairly similar. As long as you can accept the fact that you will be an incoherent chipmunk for a little while, do everything that you’re told to do and take it easy for a few days, you should be fine.