Wisdom teeth. The evil little suckers at the back of your mouth. Sooner or later we all get ours removed. If you want my piece of advice: sooner is much better than later! Pushing your surgery off for too long is a recipe for disaster! Take it from me. I had been told back in December that I needed to get my wisdom teeth removed, but decided that I could wait until summer break. Unfortunately, in the middle of April, I suddenly got a horrible jaw-wrenching ache at the back of my mouth. The pain was so intense that I could hardly chew or open my mouth to speak. After a few days of this pain, I realized that I had enough. I was inches away from booking an appointment in Santa Monica, but was convinced to wait until the weekend to go home and do the procedure there. Reflecting back, I am so glad I chose to go home because the recovery is brutal. Recovery, however, did provide me with lots of time to relax and reflect on my life. Read below to learn 10 things I realized I took for granted after my wisdom teeth experience!
- My Mom
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My #1, my best friend, my love. Shoutout to my mom who nursed me back to health! She never complained and made me soft food galore! Mashed potatoes, soup and rice became my constant companions because of her. But, most importantly I am grateful to have a mom who is my constant companion. I know that she will always be there to provide a helping hand whenever I need it.
- My Nice, Warm Bed
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I’ve always appreciated my bed, but during my recovery my bed became my life. It provided me with the softness I needed along with a perfect, warm space to reflect and watch TV.
- Juice
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Mango and pineapple smoothies provided a very nice touch to my very bland diet. It also helped ease away my pain with its cold temperature.
- Pain Medicine
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My pain medicine helped me recover quickly and painlessly! The pills provided me with much needed relief both before and after my surgery.
- Chewing
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You don’t realize how essential the simple things in life are until you lose them. Being stuck in bed means that you watch a LOT of TV. You don’t realize how much characters eat on TV until you have the inability to eat regular food yourself. I hardly ever gave thought to being able to stuff food into my mouth and enjoy whatever I wanted. Being physically incapable of chewing helped me appreciate the simple blessings in life such as walking, seeing and talking.
- TV Shows
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DVR provided me with all the entertainment that I could ever want! Thank goodness…otherwise I would be bored out of my mind. I watched shows such as For the People, Greys Anatomy and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to get me by. The plotlines distracted me from the pain and sitting on my butt all day wasn’t bad either.
- Friends
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Friends make life sillier and less serious. After my wisdom teeth surgery, I was blown up like a balloon. My face looked like a chipmunk! I was very self-conscious and did not want to leave the house, let alone take pictures of myself for all of my friends to see. Luckily, my friends proved an essential support system. They eased my fears and laughed along with me, rather than at me.
- Weekends
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WEEKENDS!! An amazing time to rest and relax. I’m always grateful for weekends, but I especially was when I got my wisdom teeth removed. Having weekends allowed me to rest within the comfort of my own family and home. Taking time for yourself is an important part of being healthy and productive.
- Hoodies
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I’ll admit it…I refused to change out of my hoodie for three days. I was swollen and tired and it just happened. Okay. Not my proudest moment, but I am really grateful for my hoodie (and all other comfy clothes) in general. It’s such a nice feeling to get into sweats and pajamas after a long day of classes or work. It provides a little luxury that I enjoy and look forward to every day. Thank you, hoodie, for being my source of warmth and comfort while I recovered.
- Brushing My Teeth
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When I was little, I HATED brushing my teeth. Brushing my teeth has been an essential (but often overlooked) part of my nightly routine. After getting my wisdom teeth out, I have come to appreciate the ability to be clean and fresh. Right after my surgery, I was unable to brush my teeth and instead had to rinse my mouth. It was downright nasty! To have the ability and means to be clean is a little luxury that I hardly give much thought to.
All the pictures (minus the pills!) were inspired by scenes from Grey’s Anatomy! I thought it would be fitting as Grey’s Anatomy was a major part of my recovery process. On a more serious note, however, getting my wisdom teeth out has helped me appreciate the little things in life. In my life, I take so much for granted. I came to realize that we should all be mindful of the little blesssings we have in our life.