Oh Shit, It's Really Going to Happen!!!

As Friday gets closer, I am getting a little more freaked out. Sure, I am excited to take a weekend off and be drugged up, but I really wish it was under different circumstances. For those of you who haven't read my previous posts, I have to have my wisdom teeth taken out on Friday. Phil, hopefully it means that I will be smarter : ) For most normal people this is not a big deal, but for me it is! Before I knew I had this problem, I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. Since it was the first time I had been to this particular dentist they did some X-rays. This is a simple procedure that kids can survive. I, on the other hand, looked at it in the worst possible way. I imagined that everything possible was going to happen to me. I imagined the dentist was going to come in and say, "We have some bad news and we need to operate right now!" I got myself so worked up that I passed out. Meanwhile, there was nothing wrong with me! For more details look at my previous posts. I really can't type much more about it because I am getting sick thinking about it. This post came about because I have been consumed with the thoughts of Friday. This morning on the news, they had a story about doctors operating on the wrong limbs. What if the dentist gets confused and removes all of my teeth except for my wisdom teeth? Hey, it could happen! If it were to happen to anyone, it would be me. Since it is raining f'ing cats and dogs, I decided to do a little research on this. I didn't get very far because I thought I was going to pass out and yes, I did have a few tears in my eyes. Everyone thinks I am joking about this, but I am honestly a mess! I can't imagine how bad my drive to Charleston is going to be the night before. I may need to hire a driver in case I pass out thinking about it. Oh yeah, and I typed in red to symbolize all the bleeding that is going to occur. OK, I am going to quit writing about this because I am getting way too weak! I am going to leave you with this article I found about the pro's and con's. I'm trying to focus on the pro's, but the con's are f'ing evil and that's all I can think about.


The Pro's and Con's of Wisdom Tooth Removal

Some Pro's of Removing a Wisdom Tooth:

Wisdom teeth may be hard to access with your toothbrush or floss. Over time, the accumulation of bacteria, sugars and acids may cause a cavity to form in the tooth. If it is not restored with a filling, the cavity may spread and destroy more tooth structure causing severe consequences to the tooth and surrounding supportive structures.

Due to the difficulty of keeping these teeth clean with your daily home care (brushing and flossing), bacteria and food debris remaining on the wisdom teeth may present a foul smell-causing bad breath.

A wisdom tooth that is still under the gums in a horizontal position (rather than a vertical position) may exert pressure to the surrounding teeth, causing crowding and crooked teeth. This also may occur if there is not enough space in the mouth for the wisdom tooth. This may warrant braces to repair the damage.

A wisdom tooth that is still under the gums may become irritated. The gum tissue that lays over the tooth may harbor food debris and bacteria that gets trapped under the gum, resulting in an infection in the gums.


Some Con's of Removing the Wisdom Teeth:

Depending on the size shape and position of the tooth, removal can vary from a simple extraction to a more complex extraction. With a simple extraction, there is usually little swelling, bruising and/or bleeding. More complex extraction will require special treatment which may result in more bruising, swelling and bleeding. However, your dental professional will provide you with post treatment instructions to minimize these side effects.

Following an extraction, a condition called "dry socket" may occur. If the blood clot that formed in the extraction area becomes dislodged, it exposes the underlying bone. This condition is very painful, but resolves after a few days. It is preventable by following the post treatment instructions provided by your dental professional.

The longer you wait and the older you get, there is the potential for more problems to occur. This is because as you get older, the bone surrounding the tooth becomes more dense, making the tooth more difficult to remove. The healing process may also be slower.