Chipmunk Cheeks
Date: February 15, 2012Category: Author: Julie
Last week, my husband had an impacted wisdom tooth removed. Working for a former dentist, and dealing with dental websites every day, you would have thought I would have done some research on the subject. I am sorry to admit that I didn’t, until today.
I am surprised at how long the recovery process is taking. I can recall my high school friends getting their wisdom teeth pulled. Other than looking like a chipmunk for a few days, I don’t remember any other ill effects they might have experienced. (Being the proud owner of four, fully erupted wisdom teeth, I do not have any personal experience in this area.) Well, my husband has been out of high school for, let’s just say a LONG time, and his experience has been much different than that of my high school friends. He came home feeling numb and a bit swollen, but seemed to be fine. Fine until the Novocaine wore off that is. At that time, he quickly changed his mind about getting his prescription for a pain reliever filled. The next day, he got up and went to work, but came home early since his mouth and throat were so swollen that he had difficulty swallowing. I received a call from my son, who said, “Dad is REALLY not feeling good, he looks terrible and doesn’t have a neck!” I admit I chuckled, but then promptly placed a call to the dentist. After a reassuring conversation that his symptoms were normal, I went home and relayed the information to my no-necked husband.
After doing some research, I learned that it is best to remove wisdom teeth at a younger age before their roots are completely formed. As age increases, so does the degree of risk.
It has now been over a week and the swelling is finally gone and my husband is almost back to normal. And although he lost 6 lbs, I don’t think he would recommend this as a weight loss plan. And I must say, chipmunk cheeks really only look good on chipmunks!
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