Getting any kind of surgery can make anyone nervous, but maybe knowing what to expect could make it a lot easier. When it comes to getting wisdom teeth removed, many students probably do not know what to expect the day of the surgery and the days to follow afterwards.
Over the summer I had to get my wisdom teeth removed, and I was very nervous about it. Many students get their wisdom teeth removed between the ages of 17-25. I on the other hand was 15 when I got mine out. It was hard to ask for advice before going into this because many people had not even gone through it themselves.
This is a routine surgery that happens daily and that many people have to have done. The surgery itself is roughly around a half hour but total with prepping is about two hours. The doctors are super nice and are there to help before, during and after surgery. Many people choose to be put under anesthesia, which I recommend because then there will be no feeling until after the numbing wears off.
The recovery of getting the teeth removed is harder than the actual surgery. “The hardest thing was trying to eat any sort of food and opening my mouth wide enough to do so. I also experienced some issues when trying to drink liquids as it tended to spill out of my mouth because I was numb,” said Bethany Stufflet. After surgery there are many foods that people can not eat. The only foods that work are anything soft like soups, apple sauce, and puddings. The hardest part for Tia Adam during recovery was the swelling. “I looked like a chipmunk for about a week and a half. The first couple of days were usual with some pain, but after it was just painless swelling,” said Tia. Another thing that comes with swelling is becoming bruised, but it is very normal.
When giving advice to anyone who will be getting surgery Kaida Chwatek says “just be mentally ready for it and that it’s different for everyone so it might not be as bad as another person’s.” Some other advice would be to constantly ice for the first three days and then switch over to heat for a while. This helps with swelling and pain. Another piece of advice would be to not eat something that shouldn’t be eaten right away because it will hurt and cause more pain than it already is. I think this advice really could and can help anyone who will be getting their wisdom teeth removed.
