To start off with, under general anaesthetic, aren't you supposed to be totally "asleep" so to speak? I woke up twice - once to drilling and another time to stitches being pulled through my gum. Yeah, thanks Mr Anaesthesiologist-and-Dental-Surgeon all-in-one.
As a child, my dental record literally had a big red stamp on it that said "PHOBIA" so you can just imagine my horror waking up during a procedure like that! Even though I didn't feel pain the way I would have without most of the anaesthetic doing its job, it was quite traumatising... Particularly as I'll soon have to do it again for my other two wisdom teeth.
Now, perhaps I'm wrong and I wasn't supposed to be fully under, but they could have at least warned me that might happen. In a way I guess I'm glad it happened whilst just getting my wisdom teeth out. Can you imagine waking up during an appendectomy? Eek.
Then I was told to put ice on it straight away, but I live almost an hour away from my dental surgery, so my face inflated like a balloon. I didn't even get one of those wrap-around-your-head ice things everyone talks about getting when they get their wisdom teeth out, so even when I did get home, and since then, I've had to constantly hold up two ice packs to my face. Yes, that seems like a dumb thing to complain about, but you don't realise how much you need your hands until they're both occupied being numbed whilst trying to assist the numbing. For the first couple of days, taking those ice packs off your face for just a few seconds feels like your gums will explode.
To those yet to get their wisdom teeth out, I'm sorry if I've added to any concern you may have had already. Everyone's experience is different. I've heard horror stories and I've heard real success stories. There's really no use worrying until after it happens, and then, well, you can vent to the online world about it I guess...
Ugghhhh. I want real food.
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