Wisdom Teeth: A Beginner's Guide

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by baejinophile

by baejinophile

[published 01.17.16]

Well, as of Friday (two days ago) I had my wisdom teeth rudely yanked from my jaws, and, being the caring person that I am, I'd like to share with you some wisdom I've gained on the topic for when you one day have to get them out, too.

PRE-PROCEDURE

Look, make sure you listen to them and don't eat or drink anything. If you do, there's a whole ordeal, and it's just not good. I followed the instructions, but they still grilled me on it before the procedure.

Also, make sure you buy / have regular popcorn salt on you. You'll need it. I'll get to it later.

POST-PROCEDURE

It's going to hurt. You might be all hocked on that loopy drug (I wasn't, unfortunately, so no vines for me), but as soon as that wears off, it's going to hurt like hell. Take your medicine only when you're supposed to, don't OD it or whatever, that's not a good plan.

Secondly, brush your teeth. I know, I know, it's just a little thing, but it's important. Make sure you have a manual toothbrush, and make sure you're being careful. Brushing is important because it'll kill the bacteria that will otherwise get all up in those holes and cause an infection.

And, the popcorn salt. What you're gonna want to do here is get a glass of warm water (not hot, but warm) and put a spoonful or so of the popcorn salt in it. Taste it, and make sure it tastes salty. Not Dead Sea salty, but salty enough to really taste it. Then you're going to want to swish that around in your mouth and sort of let it dribble out into the sink. Repeat until there's no water left. Do this three or four times a day to keep things from getting infected.

ICE!! Look, your face is going to swell, that's just a given. But, if you want to keep that swelling to a minimum, ice is key. Put the ice on your face for about 20 minutes, and do this multiple times a day as well. If you do, it'll probably stop your face from bruising (I mean mine didn't).

Also, don't play with your sutures. If you do, you'll probably pull them out, and then things are bound to suck a lot. That, and DONT suck on stuff. Too much pressure in your mouth can cause the blood clots by your teeth to be disrupted, and then shit's gonna bleed a lot and just suck ass overall.

Other than that, just be careful. Stick to soft foods, etc. Make sure you know your limits, and stay healthy!

Best wishes,
Sam