Pulling Teeth

Never listen to people that tell you that having teeth taken out is a breeze. HAH! More like a gale. They had to come out though, I've known it for many years. When my top wisdom teeth erupted to the side, I knew they'd be trouble, then when they started to fall apart I realized time was running out. Then one of them poisoned a molar next to it. So I finally broke down and made an extraction appointment.

I was terrified going in, I didn't know how it was going to go. It had been a couple decades since I'd been to see any kind of dentist. However, this one was young and understanding... a volunteer, but still knowledgeable. He listened to me tell about the 3 bad teeth that I needed taken out. He said he didn't think he could get them all at once, so which would I choose if he could only get one. I chose the molar, it was causing the most pain. After checking them for himself, he confirmed that that pair (molar and wisdom) needed to come out, and he'd try to get both that evening. He numbed up the area, then went in with some strange tool. I realized I just couldn't watch him work, I kept visualizing the worst possible scenarios, which was not helping keep me calm. The wisdom came out quite easily, I suppose it was pretty well rotten. The molar though was very difficult. He prodded, he yanked side to side. With a sickening CRUNCH it finally came free... though part of the root broke off. He went back to get that small piece then stuffed my mouth with gauze. It was done in about 30 minutes. I even took a quick look at both of them, the tiny bit that was the wisdom tooth and the massive molar, which was missing a rather large chunk.

I was sent home with instructions on care and a note on how to make an appointment for the other wisdom and to get a couple other molars repaired, as they have small cavities. I thanked them and left. In retrospect, I should have had help getting home. Not from the numbing, it was just a local, but from the adrenaline drop. I was shaking and it took a while to come down from it. I was so worn from the ordeal I went to bed early.

It hurts now though. Once the numbing wore off, it began to hurt. It still hurts. Plus I cannot chew on that side. I'm trying to be so careful, but it's strange. I feel like there's a HUGE hole, even though I know it was actually just the molar I'm missing, because the wisdom teeth never really were any use, just a nuisance from the day they came out.