So I finally had my wisdom teeth extracted

It took me 3 months, 4 blog posts (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) and about P6,000 to get rid of my three problematic wisdom teeth. I'm supposed to have all four removed, but apparently PGH Dentistry has a cutoff of 3 pm (or 3:30), we started at 1 pm and by the time my doctor was done with my third tooth, it was already 4:30! My upper left wisdom tooth was unerrupted so it took my doctor over an hour to make sure none of its bits were left under the gums. I still have one wisdom tooth intact, which I plan to keep unless/until it causes a problem. The original plan was to get all four of them extracted, but what happened after the removal of the third tooth made me change my mind.

I had a horrible post-operative experience. See, I didn't check myself in the mirror until an hour after surgery. I saw my reflection in the rearview mirror of the cab I was in and noticed that my lips were swollen and the surrounding skin red and patchy and a little itchy. I dismissed it as normal even though it looked real scary up close in my compact mirror. I continued to ice my cheek and jaw area and convinced myself that everything's okay. I started noticing that there's something off when my throat started to itch. It started with a tiny area, the itch would then turn into sore numbness (??) and then little by little it felt like half of my throat was sore and numb that I was struggling to swallow my saliva. When it felt like 3/4 of my throat was closing (I do not know how to better describe it), I texted my doctor and asked if it's normal. I was choking on my saliva. It turned out I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia - which was weird because I've had anesthesia several times before (dental extractions, childbirth) and never had a reaction.

When I got home, I asked my husband to take me to the local hospital. I thought it wouldn't be wise to go back to PGH anyway as Dentistry was already closed so any GP at the nearest hospital can do the job. The doctor at the local hospital did not know what to do with me as he has never encountered a case like mine. He kept on asking me to open my mouth to check my throat. I insisted I just had my wisdom teeth extracted and I wouldn't be able to open my mouth even if I wanted to. (TRISMUS, doc, you can google it!) He thought I was being maarte. I mean, my life's in danger, why on earth will I shut my mouth for no reason? Did I not look like my life's danger just by the looks of my swollen effed up face? He first prescribed me oral antihistamines (my throat was swollen and numb, how was I supposed to take an oral medication?!), but then reconsidered my suggestion of maybe giving me something intravenously.

We went home after an hour. My throat was still sore and numb but I figured I'll just tough it out at home. The doctor's rudeness wasn't going to make the tightness of my throat go away, so I decided I'll just go home and rest and pray that it will go away on its own. It didn't go away until the next day.

This isn't me, but the swelling after the surgery looked like this. It got way worse by the third day. My cheeks hurt from the stretching. 

I just took the antibiotics prescribed by my dentist, avoided eating as much as I could and rested the next three days. The swelling abated by the fourth day. I started looking normal by the seventh day, although the tenderness was still there. It's now the tenth day and my only concern is the open wound from the bottom right extraction. The stitches unraveled by the fourth day and now there's a scary looking gap that always has food stuck in there. My sister suggested rinsing my mouth with turmeric, which I now do after eating, and then I'll brush my teeth, and then I'll rinse with Orahex (Chlorhexidine Gluconate) - so much trouble after eating that I sometimes do not bother eating at all.

I had my follow up check up on the sixth day. My doctor saw the unraveled stitches but reassured me that the wound would heal on its own, it would just take a bit longer than if the stitches didn't unravel. I'm still scared, my sister developed infections by her third week post-surgery!

If I don't update this post, it only means I didn't develop an infection and things turned out fine. Hoping for the best. ~

P.S. I spent about P300 (or less, sorry forgot the exact amount) on the day of the operation for X-rays (about P120), anesthesia (about P120), and doctor's fee (about P60). So yes, I spent about P6,000 in total for everything.