Tooth Wisdom

Well, the fateful day had come.  My dental appointment for a wisdom tooth extraction.  We were running a little late, so I hurried out of the car as soon as my husband parked, while he seemed to dawdle with some distraction of papers.  No one was in the waiting room, but I stood at the office window several. minutes waiting patiently.  "Hell-o," I spoke inquiringly into the silence.

"May I help you?" the receptionist said quizzically as she came to the counter.  I told her I was here for my appointment, and she scanned a list in front of her.  "I think you may be in the wrong office," she mused, "I don't have you on the schedule."

What?  This is where I was on a visit a couple of weeks ago! I was starting to feel disoriented.  "There are two dentist's offices here.  You want the one at the end of the building," I was told.  How embarrassing!  I met my husband coming out the door of the other office as I was going in.  He hadn't even noticed I went the wrong direction!  What a harbinger of what was to follow!

Actually, the procedure went smoothly, in spite of my nervousness.  "Are you taking it out now?" I managed to speak shortly into the process.  The dentist answered affirmatively, saying it was almost out and it was a good sign if I had to ask.  I was briefed on aftercare and alerted to precautions against something called "dry socket."  They told me that the protective clot that would form was very important and had to be preserved.

I carefully followed instructions when I got home, but later that day, peering into my mouth, I froze.  The clot was gone!  I looked up "dry socket" on the internet and was terrified I might have what was described as a very painful condition that would require weeks of healing!  I was back at the dentist's office the next day.  They checked it and said it looked normal, much to my relief.

Still, I had read that this relatively rare condition could develop as much as 5 days later, so for the past week every twinge in the extraction site has been a pang of terror as I contemplated the unknown.  I have to admit that I have had no real problems though, and the area seems to be healing.  God has answered my prayers, so maybe now I can get past this traumatic week. I almost wish I hadn't read all the scenarios on the internet.  Like they say, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!"