Third molars, commonly referred to as wisdom teeth, are the four molars located at the back of the mouth and usually erupt around the ages of 16-18.
Wisdom teeth are not necessary and are often removed because there is not enough room in the mouth for them to erupt properly. Dr. Jill Jenkins of Jenkins Dental recommends that wisdom teeth be removed as soon as they appear.
“Partially erupted teeth can easily harbour food and bacteria and can cause infection. If the tooth is stuck in the bone, it is more likely to form a cyst or other complications,” Jenkins said.
After the surgery, junior Liberty Bouskill felt very exhausted.
“It did feel a little bad, especially because I had it removed the day before Thanksgiving,” Bouskill said. “I had just eaten mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving and felt groggy and nauseous.”
Another effect of the surgery was the numbness after the surgery. For senior Jada Winfrey, this was one of the strangest things.
“The weirdest feeling for me was when you wake up and your face is still numb and your tongue is still numb for the next couple of hours, which feels weird,” Winfrey said. “You can’t feel it unless you actually touch it with your hand.”
The recovery process can be daunting for many, but Bousquier found it to be better than she expected.
“I really don’t think it was as bad as people said it was,” Bousquier said. “It was probably a week that I was completely paralyzed. I just read books and watched movies though. I couldn’t eat anything, so I just had some chocolate bars, bone broth and mashed potatoes.”
However, the recovery process after a tooth extraction also has its unique challenges. One of them is not being able to drink through a straw after a tooth extraction because it can cause dry socket, which is the inability of blood to form around the extraction site. Senior Maggie Wieland found this to be the toughest part of the recovery process.
“My biggest challenge was not being able to use a straw for 10 days afterwards,” Wieland said. “It’s a real problem. If I want to drink coffee, I can’t drink it through a straw. I can’t drink water from my Stanley (water bottle) because I can’t drink it through a straw. It’s dangerous.”
While the whole process can be uncomfortable, Busquier found that drinking pineapple juice beforehand helped.
“I’ve also had pineapple juice before, and I do think it did help because I don’t remember my face getting swollen or any other symptoms,” Busquier said.
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