Since winter break is, for most of us, a month of hanging out in our pajamas eating nutella with a spoon and watching old re-runs of SVU (oh that’s just me..? never mind…) it is unfortunately the perfect time to get your wisdom teeth removed.
I had my wisdom teeth removed last week, and though it was defnitely not a good time, it hasn’t been as awful as I thought it would be. So if you’re in the same boat as me, or you’re about to be, here are the stages of getting your wisdom teeth removed, as told by someone who has seen the other side…
You start seriously freaking out the day before:
Yeah, this may be the worst part of the entire ordeal, you’re freaking out about the surgery (especially if you’ve never had a surgery before). The idea of needles and scary dentists is getting to you and all you want to do is crawl under the covers and stay there until it’s time to head back to school…
The moment of the surgery arrives & you become weirdly calm:
Your oral surgeon is actually really nice, the other staff is very kind and helpful, the office is bright and clean and your mom promises that she’ll be waiting with a milkshake after the 45 minutes are up: this is the moment you realize you got this, and you’ll be absolutely fine.
You get the drugs:
This stage is different for everyone, some people are completely anesthetized for their surgery, and others recieve laughing gas and are basically just a little out of it. I got laughing gas, and though I didn’t particularly like the feeling, it definitely relaxed me allowed me to lay back and chill out while the whole thing was happening, so don’t stress if this is the part that you’re nervous about!
The drive home:
Yes, this is real life, and right now you’re probably either laughing uncontrollably, crying, or talking non-stop about random things (apparently I discussed Elvis for a while?) Hopefully someone is able to record your ridiculous antics so that you can laugh at them later; however it may be a good idea to have someone hold onto your phone for a little while because you might post some unfortunate pictures of your puffed-up chipmunk face on instagram or send some snaps that you would rather have kept to yourself, in your loopy state.
You sit… forever:
Ok maybe not forever, but for the next few days make sure that you’ve picked out the best spot on the couch near the TV and an outlet so that you can sleep, snuggle, check social media and consume an endless amount of pudding cups in peace. You’re going to be swollen, tired and in a (little) bit of pain, so you’ll likely be more than happy to let your family wait on you while you watch your way through your Netflix queue. If you need some ideas on what to watch, check out these recent Her Campus UConn articles on Netflix and Hulu binges…
The list of foods you can actually eat is very, very short:
Discovering what I can and cannot eat has been a very annoying part of this process. I very quickly discovered that pudding and milkshakes actually do get old pretty fast. Eventually you start craving food with substance and you might actually get a little teary eyed thinking about everything you’re missing out on (especially if your family orders sushi… THANKS MOM AND DAD). However, certain foods that you may not think of originally like hummus and creamy polenta are life-savers when you start missing real food. If you’re looking for some interesting recipe ideas, check out this BuzzFeed article. You’ll be back to your normal diet soon: hang in there guys!
You quickly discover who your real friends are:
They answer your millions of snapchats when you’re bored on the couch, they reblog the angsty text posts you write on Tumblr when you’re uncomfortably waiting for your Advil to kick in and they even stop by after a day or two with some soup and a milkshake, ready to binge watch a show of your choice with you: they’re your best friend, your significant other, or your family- and they are the real MVP.
Day 3 hits and you’re basically a zombie:
Day 3 is notoriously the worst: your swelling reaches its peak and your jaw is beyond sore, basically you’re completely and totally done and possibly crying into your tenth bowl of pudding. However, you’ve got your doctor on your side! Make sure that you keep your oral surgeon updated on your progress so that they can make sure you’re on the right track, and don’t be afraid to call them and let them know if you’re concerned about something you’re experiencing. Otherwise, you’ll be okay: just make sure to take your meds, drink your milkshakes and keep being positive, it’s going to get better very soon!
And then, after a few days, you start to feel better:
You’ve made it through the worst few days and you’re gonna be okay! You’re starting to be able to eat real foods again and you’ve almost completely cut out the painkillers. Your post-operation check-up is just around the corner and you’re READY.
Your post-op check-up:
This is your moment to brag: you’ve brushed through the pain, gargled with salt-water after every meal and haven’t used a straw once; you’ve been the model patient and you deserve some praise from your doc. After you get the all-clear from the oral surgeon, you’ll be able to eat some more foods and start to get back into your regular routine, just make sure that you keep up with the after-care instructions that the doctor gave you and you should be all good… you did it!
Congrats on making it through wisdom tooth surgery collegiettes, now let’s celebrate!