Dientes de juicio

So, I got my wisdom teeth out this week.

That may surprise some people: "You mean you didn't get them out before your mission?" Before my mission, a dentist said it might be a good idea to get them out, but I didn't need to, and my mom didn't think I should. They weren't messing up my other teeth, and I only had them on top.

But recently I had a trip to the dentist, and he said that I should have them taken out, because they were going to keep coming in--he said they will come in until they touch something, and since I don't have bottom teeth there, they would come in until they hit the gums.

So, Friday was the day. Since they were already sticking out, it was very easy. They numbed me up, gave me laughing gas, and got them out. In fact, I don't know when they came out--I could feel them applying pressure in my mouth, but I didn't feel the teeth come out. Since all I had was laughing gas, there was no YouTube fame for me.

They gave me gauze and told me to bite on it for an hour. When the gauze was no longer red, then I wouldn't have to bite on it anymore. I bit on it and went to my French lab, where I told the TA I preferred not to speak, "car le dentiste a enlevé mes dents de sagesse." I was going to stay on campus and work, but I was still bleeding, and I was running out of gauze. The Bookstore didn't sell dental gauze, so I went back to the dentist (right by where I live) and asked for some more gauze. The hygienist went back to get some more, but the dentist looked in my mouth and told me I didn't need to bite anymore--even as he handed me the gauze they had gotten for me. I ate lunch, took a nap, and went back to campus (since my computer doesn't have Word), where I worked until late.

Really, the operation wasn't eventful. It wasn't really more eventful than the running I did this week (including one that was the longest I'd done since November or December) or stake conference. But it's a once-in-a-lifetime event. And by "once-in-a-lifetime" I don't mean it was significant, I mean it literally will only happen once in my life.

I remember well getting my tonsils out--waking up at 1:00 p.m. in pain, Slurpees that were supposed to soothe my throat but often made it worse, watching old reruns of Family Feud. But my wisdom teeth were not like that. I refrained from running Friday and Saturday, but other than that I'm fully functioning. I no longer have gauze in my mouth, so I can talk. I eat whatever I want and go wherever I want.

I'm glad that it went well and that I'm not in pain. But I'm a little sad I didn't have an excuse to sit around and do nothing.