I am very happy that the human species has evolved past our time as cavemen and cavewomen. I love speaking in complete sentences instead of grunts, wearing hoodies instead of animal pelts, and going to school to learn how to cook with fire instead of fearing it. One of the downsides of this evolution, and possibly the only downside, however, is the loss in functionality of our wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth served as extra molars that helped our cavemen and cavewomen ancestors chew through gritty and coarse meals, but with an increase in soft, processed foods and a shrinking of the human jaw over time, they have lost their functionality and now serve as an annoying dental nuisance.
Knowing that most dentists recommend wisdom teeth removal between the ages of 16-18, I thought I’d share my personal experience, as well as some funny stories from other Royals without wisdom teeth, to give insight into what the perks of evolution are all about.
I got my wisdom teeth removed over Christmas break this year, and it was an experience. My older sister and I opted to have our wisdom teeth removed on the same day so that we could undergo the recovery process together, but I was the first one called into the surgery room. This was my first time being put under anesthesia, and I was more scared of being put to sleep (and the needle to insert the IV) than the surgery itself. But I didn’t have much time to be scared over the needle, because the doctors put me to sleep almost immediately without any warning.
According to my mom, I woke up with an attitude. When the nurse was explaining safety and cleaning procedures, I’d “rolled my eyes at him” and said “whatever,” which I have no recollection of doing and feel awful about because my nurse was really nice. The entire car ride home, I was making a case for why I should have pancakes – they’re soft, dissolve, don’t require a lot of chewing, and we’d skipped breakfast for the surgery – even though I wasn’t allowed to have solid food for a week. And finally, to round off my coming-off-of-anesthesia trip, once I made it back home with my little sister, the first thing I did was hit the “devious griddy” dance move all the way to the couch where I promptly fell asleep.
Similar to me thinking I could eat pancakes immediately after surgery, Kristiana Guerra ‘24 was convinced that she was invincible while coming off of anesthesia from her wisdom teeth removal. When asked about her experience, she shared: “I just was convinced I could walk on my own after getting the surgery and I almost ate it on my face.”
Senior Ava Perez had trouble with the anesthesia, too, because she couldn’t seem to find her mom: “I woke up in the wheelchair and I asked the nurse where my mom was, even though she was right next to me. It was like I couldn’t see her. Then I asked again in the car, even though she was driving the car. My mom was invisible!”
On the other hand, sophomore Lauren Marvray found more trouble in her recovery process. She felt most of the pain in the aftermath of the surgery, saying: “I was so swollen and I looked exactly like Theodore from Alvin and the chipmunks. I had to go to the Eras tour with a swollen mouth and I had to take my yearbook picture swollen.”
Samantha Oskorus ‘25 was a bit too rebellious the day after she got her wisdom teeth removed: “The day after I hung out with my friends and I was laughing so much with them my cheek started getting bigger and bigger, so I had to go to the doctor and he told me my cheek should not be that big. And then I had Taco Bell when I wasn’t supposed to.”
So, if you take away anything from these fun stories, know that if you need to get your wisdom teeth out, prepare yourself for an interesting recovery period. And on a note of seriousness, be sure to take care of yourself and give your mouth grace after the surgery – eat soft foods, take a break from sports, catch up on some of your favorite shows, and try to enjoy your wisdom teeth removal experience. Good luck, Royals!
DAlba Diane • Feb 10, 2024 at 5:40 am
Great advice