July 17th, 2016

The most painful sign of growing up: wisdom teeth removal surgery. Most of us have to deal with it, and those lucky few who don’t can go sit in a corner for the remainder of this article. Here are the ten things you should do to make this surgery go smoother:

1. Research. Your doctor may have a video explaining the surgery as mine did, or you may have to look up a video explaining the process step by step and options available. Do this before going in for the consultation, so that you can be prepared with any questions and feel more certain on what you’re getting yourself into.
2. Have a caregiver. If you are lucky enough to have a parent or guardian able to take some days off work to watch you, great! If not, definitely find a friend, sibling, neighbor, or someone close and responsible to check up on you. I could not really effectively take care of myself for the first couple of days, so my mom tried to get me to eat something, reminded me of pills to take, helped wrap frozen peas around my head with tights, etc. Having someone to make sure you’re alright, for the first couple of days, is immensely important.
3. Go Shopping. Grocery shopping, that is. Be aware of the kinds of food you are allowed to eat, and make sure to stock up so you don’t have to leave the house for over a week. Ice cream without any chunks or obstacles is a must -- and get the good kind, too! You’ll be eating a lot of it, so make sure to get the kind you really like. And if you don’t go through several tubs of ice cream, then yay, leftovers. Have different kinds of soft foods, don’t just get one kind of ice cream and one kind of soup won’t cut it for very long -- you’ll want options. Mashed potatoes, rice and broth, Popsicles, and tea are some other foods and such that will help.
4. Have a clean room. I was in the beginning stages of packing for college, so my room was pretty messy. Having an uncluttered room will make you feel better about spending the next week and a half in it.
5. Sleep on two or three pillows. It may be uncomfortable, but keep your head elevated above your heart after surgery, even when sleeping. To be honest, the pain meds will probably knock you out anyway, so you’ll sleep no matter how weird it feels.
6. Have a vomit bucket ready. Meds are great for pain, but if you’re most people, they also make you sick as a dog. Make sure to eat something as substantial as possible and wait a few minutes before you take your meds to avoid any unpleasant revisitings from your soup-and-ice-cream feast. Have a large bowl or bucket nearby, like, right beside you at all times. A small dish cloth may also help in cleaning up.
7. Be prepared to be bored. When you start feeling better and don’t sleep all day, you’ll start to look around for something easy to do. I personally have watched two seasons of "Parks and Recreation" in two or three days, as well as a few movies (it’s a problem). Magazines, books, arts and crafts are all important to your mental well being while you’re in your solitary chipmunk stage.
8. Stay in touch with friends. You might not be feeling up to seeing them face-to-face, but make sure to stay in touch through text. It will help you to feel more connected to the outside world, and it’s entertaining.
9. Let yourself rest. Free range to be a slob! In all honesty, you will probably sleep for 20 hours for a few days and be a couch potato for the next few. You just had surgery, so let yourself be useless for a while. It’s all part of the healing process.
10. Don’t freak out. You will be fine! If you are really nervous about the procedure, talk to your doctor about different anesthetics and options open for you. It really is not that bad, and the healing process flies by since you sleep for most of it. You got this.