Impacted Wisdom Teeth

My "Missing" Teeth

When I was about thirteen, we discovered that one of my molars (the one that usually comes in around the age of twelve) had started coming through my gum at a 90° angle to the surface of my gum and my lower jaw. So instead of coming through straight up, it went through my gum lying on its side and pushing against the tooth next to it. We decided to wait and see if it would straighten out, but over the years, instead of sorting itself out, just the problem tooth was getting more and more impacted. Not even braces would be able to salvage it. We then also discovered that the wisdom tooth of the other side of my mouth was also laying wrong, though still under the gum. We weren't sure what to do about it.

So.... A few weeks ago my mum and I went to the dentist's here in Hoedspruit to see what he suggested we do about that impacted twelve year old molar. He said that he wouldn't pull  that tooth out himself and suggested that all my wisdom teeth come to give my mouth some more room. Here in South Africa its common practice to remove wisdom teeth after students have finished their final exams, at the end of November. The doctor said that we needed to rush to get an appointment if I were to have my teeth out before the facial surgeons (the doctors who deal with this sort of things) got too busy.

The health insurance was covering it and on Sunday afternoon my parents and I travelled down to Nelspruit. We spent the night in a little guesthouse and arrived at the hospital at six o'clock yesterday morning as there were a few pieces of paper work that needed seeing to. It was the first time I was in hospital (other than for visits) since I was about a year old. I was scheduled to go into theatre (the operation room) at eight o'clock, but there was a little girl who they'd put in before me, to remove some pins out her broken elbow. So I went into theatre at just after nine o'clock. It was my first time under GA (general anaesthetic), so I'd been peppering my mum with all sort of questions for the last few days, to find some clarity, you see my mum's been trained as a nurse and midwife so has had had loads of experience in the theatre, and what I could expect.

Wearing the ice pack!

I was already drifting when they wheeled me in to theatre, I fully expected to come round without five of my teeth (all my wisdom teeth and one twelve year old molar) and I barely remember getting onto the operating table. By the time the drip was being inserted into the back of my left hand, I was well and truly out of things. I have vague recollections of going into recovery room and asking mum if the little girl with broken arm was alright. I also vaguely remembering the surgeon telling mum and papa that he'd decided to remove four teeth, and not remove the wisdom tooth behind the impacted twelve year old molar. That should move down on its own.

I slept for about two hours after the whole operation was done. My parents were absolutely amazing. They were with me through out the time I was asleep afterwards. The journey home was also an opportunity for me to sleep off the GA, so I don't remember much of the way back to Hoedspruit.

I've now got an ice pack strapped to my face, to help reduce the swelling, especially on the left side of my face. I'm on a strict diet of liquids until the wounds in my mouth have healed a bit, so for a few days. I've got a rather unflatteringly swollen face and rather sore lower jaw (though two wisdom teeth were taken out from my upper jaw as well).

The plan now is to let my mouth heal up nicely and then we're gonna see what that last remaining wisdom tooth is going to do. I may have to have a brace on to help move it down to where the impacted twelve year old molar was but we're not rushing anything.

Keep an eye out, I'll post again soon.