When I was nineteen years old, I traveled to Kazakhstan for a semester. When we arrived in the country, we underwent a full physical, including a dental examination. I'll never forget that, when it was time for the dental examination, there was someone in the next chair who was having a tooth extraction done without pain medication. That's how it appeared to my untrained eye, that is, from the writhing, grunting, and sharp exclamations of pain.
It didn't seem like a pleasant experience, and I was ecstatic that I did not require dental assistance at that time. However, I do remember that I started to develop a cavity in one of my front teeth, which I always thought was really strange. The other thing that I remember was that it was then that I started getting my wisdom teeth.
And it hurt.
When my wisdom teeth first started coming in, I recalled my first visit to the dentist in the former-Soviet republic, and I knew that I would not be taking that particular malady to the fine dental expert's of Alma-Ata. I put aspirin between my gums and my cheek as a topical analgesic. It tasted disgusting, but it helped with the discomfort.
Fortunately, I had had some molars removed earlier in my adolescence, so my wisdom teeth were able to come in relatively straight. My other teeth simply moved to accommodate my increase in wisdom. In other words, they were never impacted. They were, however, difficult to clean, since they were way back in the back, where adult hands can't easily reach.
Oddly enough, only three of my wisdom teeth erupted. I always wondered why. I was wondering what the point of wisdom teeth were, so I looked them up. Apparently, they are also called third molars, and they were historically very useful at a time when tooth loss was much more common. People would lose their molars and the wisdom teeth would late come in and take their place. As dental hygiene improved, the wisdom teeth became more superfluous. When all the teeth are there, there is no room, and that is when you start having problems with impacted wisdom teeth. Who knew? But that wasn't the case for me, because I am apparently a throwback to the dark ages when people's teeth sucked. Mine just grew in straight, although there difficult to care and clean way back in the back.
After living with them for many years, the time has finally come for them to go, and yesterday morning, I went to the dentist to have the first of three wisdom teeth extracted.
I actually managed to get a picture of my x-rays as an exhibit.
The tooth that was extracted was the one on the far left, on the top.
But first, my dentist started working on those two bottom left teeth. The penultimate tooth was filled yesterday morning, but that last one is getting a crown. In preparation of that, he first removed the silver filling that I had lived with for years. I was very happy to see it go.
Did you know that dentists can remove silver fillings and replace them with tooth-colored fillings? It's true, but I would not voluntarily have that done. My fillings were working fine, even if they were aesthetically displeasing to the eye. After he had removed the filling, he let me have a look. To be honest, it looked like most of the tooth was gone, there was so much damage. Hence the need for a crown, I suppose.
Once he was done getting rid of the fillings and replacing it with the tooth-colored replacement, it was time for the extraction itself. I had always heard of surgical extractions. People who had to have them literally cut out warned me of the discomfort. There might have been stories of stitches. None of the stories were pleasant.
For me, though, the most unpleasant part of the procedure itself were the shots that were administered to make sure the area was well and truly numbed. The shots were not pleasant, but once my teeth and gums were numb, he set to work, and I settled in to let him complete the lengthy process that comes with removing one's wisdom tooth.
A process that, for me, took all of 2 minutes. If that.
A little pressure, and there was my tooth in the little keepsake box I had requested.
Yes, I asked to keep the tooth.
What? I've heard the tooth fairy is very generous these days.
She better be, at least. I mean, I got my wisdom tooth taken out two days before Christmas. I deserve something for that, right???
