Two-Days Post Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Recovering from Wisdom Tooth Extraction

I have to admit I am doing much better with this surgery than the previous one.

I enjoyed yet another Fribble today (ordered extra thick with a Peanut Butter sauce rim) with my Fribble-buddies Paul and Maura. I also enjoyed a fairly solid dinner – cheeseburger and fries.

My body seems to be getting pretty thin although my face is quite swollen making me wonder if I am actually the love child of Renee Zellwegger.

Uncanny isn't it?

Wisdom teeth extraction, you incomplete me.

Bye #17

As you probably immediately recall (or can quickly verify on your personal calendar), my last wisdom tooth extraction was March 31. They took two teeth. Today, I noticed that those holes have closed. That's nice because when I rinsed my mouth a salad bar fell out. Braces + Wisdom Teeth holes = nooks and crannies. If I also grow a mustache, I can probably take my lunch to school without a lunchbag.

In preparation for today, I stocked up. Lots of pudding, yogurt, and smoothies. (Last night I ate a calzone.) I learned the hard way to avoid lemon flavored food for a few days. Zing! Also on the way home, Tara (my adult escort) and I stopped for Fribbles at our favorite Fribblerie, Friendly's. I'm already planning to get another one tomorrow. Another cool food I recently found was GoGo Squeeze Apple Sauce. It's only 1 point and frees you from the oppressive need of carrying a spoon. Thumbs up.

I was awake for a good part of the procedure again. I liked listening to the doctors discuss what to do. They said something about drilling a hole in the tooth to grab hold and pull it out. They said it was "more involved" and "very deep". They had to chip away at my jaw to get the tooth out. My surgeon informed me that my recovery may be a bit tougher.

Last time, he gave me Oxycodone. I wasn't sure if that was what gave me the fever and nausea (I barfed). So I asked for something lighter. I went with Vicodin.

When I got home, I ate my Fribble, took a Vicodin, and started up the DVR (I've been saving episodes of Ruby, Taboo, and Extreme Couponing. Quality TV – although I fell right asleep.

I have to admit, so far so good (knock on wood). Less bleeding, less nausea, less pain, but more swelling. I'm pretty sure they surgically implanted Jiffy Pop in my cheek. The left side of my face suggests I might be another Arnold Schwarzenegger love child. (Fingers crossed.)

Bottoms On

 
Before/After
It's been three months since I got my top braces on. Mostly there's been no pain. In the beginning I was a little sensitive, but I got used to it. There has been some movement. Mostly my teeth are just lining up in the arch. The wire seemed a little wimpy. I like my braces to be like conversations about other people's dreams or pets – painful. Seriously, I want my braces to have some kick.

They put on the bottoms and added bands to the top. They also gave me a thicker, stronger wire on top. I'm pretty sure they pulled it off a spiral notebook. It was thick all right. I definitely felt it and my gap started closing right away. 

I had to include this picture because, well, it's kind of hot. You might be saying, "Is that really you? Did you rip a fake pic off the internet?" No, it's all me. Because of the goggles and my extended cheeks, I like to picture me on a motorcycle going really, really fast.

Now, I'm fully braced. Three months down. 15-21 months to go. Next step in the extraction of #17 next week.

You've Got a Little Something Between Your Teeth

About a week before you get braces, you get spacers. The orthodontist uses dental floss to jam little blue rubber bands between your teeth. He wiggles and presses then SNAP. You can tell how satisfying it is for him. I saw stars. Then it feels like you have a little Thanksgiving Turkey in your molars... for a week. They don't go around your teeth they stand up between them like this |O|.

My bottom braces go on next week. They claim to do them apart so you "have one jaw to chew with." That makes as much sense to me as leaving me one hand to clap with.

At any rate, I went back for a second round of spacers. I'm getting used to strangers putting their fingers in my mouth. I should've worn thigh-high leather boots. I could've charged $5. You like bicuspid action?