😮 My apologies guys. I’ve been kinda M.I.A lately due to a lot of upcoming events in the near future. First, I’m on a planning team for one of my dear friend’s baby shower, I’ve got a cruise booked for August 13th, my fall course schedule has been finalized and it will be intense (18 hours), worked out a plan with my boss to reduce my work schedule during school, shadowing eye doctors on my non-work days, making moving arrangements to another city, planning a trip to Switzerland for January, and having my wisdom teeth removed. This brings me to my specific reason for posting today. The practice that assumed care for my surgery did an excellent job of explaining why wisdom tooth removal is essential and provided educational support.

So, if you are considering wisdom tooth removal then let’s go over the basics. I don’t want no jive but this is not a time to skimp on the quality of my service. For one thing, do your RESEARCH! I enrolled in a buy-up plan for dental coverage. I opted for this path because I needed a surgical extraction which classified as a major service and the buy-up plan offered a 50% discount after meeting a deductible of $50. I also enrolled in a FSA plan which covered the remaining ~$750 out of pocket. Since I work in the healthcare industry, I will follow-up with my insurance company to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

I located several providers through my insurance website and recommendations of friends. In spite of those efforts I ended up contacting the wrong office who kindly referred me to a nearby practice who specialize in the procedures I needed. After reading his reviews and meeting them in person, I was sold! Check them out in this video:

Fast forward to today. Gheez! I have a high tolerance for pain but let me tell you this…I would not want to experience that kind of torment again. I know everyone’s different blah blah. My appointment started at 8:00AM and I was IV sedated. I have been put to sleep in the past for an invasive surgery. All I remember from that one is counting and the waking up. This time I remember the doctor and staff standing around me and I actually began waking up to a level of consciousness while they were finishing up. Really weird! I kept trying to grab someone’s hand but maybe I was dreaming. I wonder what they saw, hmm? I woke up talking and asking questions. I was fully cognitive just not alert; however, I knew exactly what I was saying. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to understand me with all the swelling and gauze in my mouth.

My wonderful friend volunteered to take me to and from my appointment (driver is legally required with sedation patients). It was such a blessing to have her with me today. She is a Licensed massage therapist, has a bachelor’s in Sports Medicine, and is an active dental assistant. A very busy woman who did not hesitate to cancel most of her afternoon plans to remain with me. I had a meltdown in the car at Wal-Mart mostly because the anesthetics began to wear off around 10:30AM. I also have a public disdain for Wal-Mart but needed to get my drugs in my system ASAP. So while I sat in the car crying and draining my bloody saliva into paper towels, she handled all the business. This is why i recommend bringing someone who knows exactly what to do when you are unable to care for yourself. Please show Charnell some love and visit her blog at: http://www.castawaytherapies.com/about-us/charnell-sutton.

The drugs took about an hour and a half to kick in and after that I have not had an issue with the pain. I was not really hungry until about 5:00PM so I ate some soup and instant potatoes. Now I’m feeling kind of nauseated, my left side of jaw/tongue/lips are still numb, and just took my second dose of pain/antibiotic pills. Yea I’m gonna stop here, ugh. See gallery below for pictures. (Click here to read part 2 of 3)

You must have this done for a referral. Most insurance plans cover one every three years.

Yeah I asked. I was curious!

Necessary to reduce swelling

My left side of mouth. I’ll have to ask how this happened when I have my follow-up visit.

My right side of mouth