50% Dumber

For a good year now, my two wisdom teeth on my right side were starting to peek their heads out – it's comical to compare it to Ground Hog's Day. It never really hurt me much until I got my cleaning a month ago and decided to go ahead and take it out. Always having to chew gum after meals and getting food stuck in there was an annoyance to keep track of in the back of my mind (and teeth). I've considered taking all 4 out at once, but I did my calculations and my insurance allowance only covers up to $2000 this year, and at $750 a pop per tooth (wowza), there's no point of doing both sides of my face.

I know everyone's experience is different for wisdom teeth extractions, so here's mine: I chose to suck it up and stay awake during the whole thing. I was fine with the more than a few shots of Novocaine that were being juiced into my gums like a marinated chicken, so I only felt pressure, no flinch no pain. Once home, living off Advil, painkillers, antibiotics, ice packs, salt water, and occasionally passing out in nap episodes, my swelling was not as terrible as some google case study pictures that I have seen. Not sure if my dentist was trying to make me feel better or was just lying, but he had mentioned that only 5% of people really get full on swellings that deem them to be "Chipmunk Faces". They also let me keep the teeth – surprisingly these two little suckers were actually bigger and heavier than I had expected!

Laying down on the couch counting down the hours by watching The View and Chinese TVB drama shows, the only thing I'll be eating and drinking in the next couple of days will be fish/beef bits congee from my Hello Kitty bowl through a bubbletea straw. They actually advise against using straws but god it's just so much faster and easier to drink up the lukewarm-cold congee in a couple of minutes vs. trying to fit a spoon into your mouth without dribbling! TMI.

Interesting factoid #297 about me: One of my remaining wisdom teeth on the left side is actually laying down completely horizontally under my gums instead of looking up vertically. Ha!

Update: I've upgraded myself to cut up soft breadsticks and tea.