Event Sept 21 2022
An ode to Adulthood: 10 Things I LEARNED FROM Extracting MY WISDOM TEETH Yesterday
Storytime.
Yesterday was a pivotal, significant day for me.
I did something audacious-
I remained valiant due to a spiritual decision I'd made earlier this month.
Yesterday evening, my "wisdom teeth" were extracted as a valiant symbol that, moving forward in my life, I WILL NO LONGER ALLOW ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T SERVE ME TO STAY IN MY LIFE- irrespective of how painful letting go of it is.
Let the story begin.
In real life, I'm gangsta: Don dada, Basila. Those close to me will tell you fearlessness, tenacity, and resilience are my names in most things- but blood, pain and needles. There I fail woefully. The process is stressful, sha.- There's an upside to that. Clearly, I'll never do street drugs.
Back to the Story. So I faced my fears, and in my Dentist's words, @kenn_muscle from Schubbs, I can now go on to live like a LION. Here are 10 THINGS I LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE.
10 THINGS I LEARNED from MY EXTRACTION: The Pain is Werser- Swipe right
How did “Wisdom Teeth” Get Their name?-
What exactly is so “wise” about these punitively painful, street gangster third molars? Me sef I wan know.
It dey like na Translation of the Latin term "dens sapientiae". Basically, they develop much later than your other 28 teeth, at an age where people are allegedly "wiser" (than as a child when the other teeth develop) For 70% of humans, these thugs emerge between the early adult ages of 17-21.
No pain, no Gain- The whole Marvelverse fears Thanos' wrath. That one na feem Forget. Fam, Tooth pain is immediate, accurate and intrusive as ants wey dem Sabi gather from nowhere. The pain is werser. It get why. The pain arrives when nerves in your teeth are exposed. And, did you know 30-40% of all your nerves are found in your face? Fat chance! Guess what. About 5-37% of lucky humans may never experience this pain because they will never grow third molars. It may be genetic. Lucky them. (Dental Research Journal.) Uncles, aunties, cut soap.
Laughing gas is Illegal in Nigeria: Nitrous Oxide, aka N20 or "laughing gas" or "happy gas" on these streets, is named due to its intoxicating effects when inhaled. It was discovered around 1772 by English scientist/clergyman Joseph Priestley. N20 affects the nervous system, which dulls pain sensitivity. It's used for general and dental anesthesia, procedural sedation, and severe pain treatment.
The sale of N20 is illegal in Naij o. I live in Cali, and Jah knows how helpful this gas is in helping to take away the anxiety and allowing patients to feel calm because otherwise, I am a wreck. ( See next slide.)
YOU’RE STRONGER THAN YOU KNOW. YOUR PAIN THRESHOLD IS MORE THAN YOU KNOW: Knowing myself, I paid waaay extra (over N150k extra) to “be put under” cuz bay-bee, I don’t play these pain games. I had previously done yoga/breathing exercises and distracted myself with work right up to the door.
When the anesthetist came, it was a whole Nigerian movie starring Patience Uzokwor- just to attempt sedation. With much rebellion and a river of tears, I was poked on my left wrist and right veins, to no avail. After several tries and pulse oximetry tests everywhere, including my toes, the anesthetist looked up at me and said, "Sorry, I can't administer this anesthesia." She explained that my vitals were low. Out of anxiety, my pulse rate (oxygen saturation levels) had dropped to 60%, which should have been 90/95% (for her to go ahead.) Sedating me could risk my life.
This woman doesn't understand. I CAN'T DO THIS, I thought- Apparently, I can. Did I want to risk my life because I'm a pus? My mind raced- So what will birthing be like with all these pokes? Na wah... In real time, I finally made a decision. I had to take it like a G., So I had to take it like A G. I DID IT! An Extraction without being "put-under" Na me this na. I nova die- I dey still speak English.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE & CAN YOU TOUCH THE PLACE? Hell no. Don't touch. Don't suck in air; don't use your tongue or fingers. Just leave the gums, jejely. The socket resembles a strange "O" from Stranger Things. The tooth itself is LONG AF. I learned that they have a long road to the bone. I have stared severally at these small things that wanted to murder their host, a whole adult.
After an Extraction, You Legit walk out without bleeding: Even Spartan Gladiators couldn't handle all that blood spewing out of my mandibles through the saliva ejector tubes- throughout the procedure. And then, boom! Once it's over, sets of GAUZE are applied to the sockets with pressure & then, just like that, the blood clots immediately. Bleeding stops like a smart Film trick. (I think in some rare cases, it continues for hours after) But I didn't experience that, thanks to the good doctors at Schubbs, Ikoyi.
SWALLOW GAME TIGHT: the secret to no bleeding after the procedure- Stop spitting. Weirdly, you're advised to swallow blood, tears, and everything grime. Gross, I know, but If you don't swallow, your brain can't mandate your mind to heal, and blood clots won't happen. God is a perfectionist, right? Anyways, so, yes, I swallowed. Head out the gutter, Fam.
SAHNDRA, WHY ARE YOU TAKING THEM OUT? It was the pain, Fam. You see? Wisdom teeth removal is a common procedure because there's often only room for 28 teeth in the mouth. If all four wisdom teeth develop, resulting in 32 teeth, this may lead to overcrowding. If 3 is a crowd, what of 32? Souba? And, wait- hope you didn't forget about the unused needle in my arm. Blood spurted like bad CGI on a horror film when the needles were removed. Very Spartacus... Def. Not my cup of tea.
If The Mouth Only Has Space for 28 Teeth, WTF DO THEY EXIST?
Early humans, aka your very distant ancestors, needed to chew coarse (tanga') hearty foods. They required a broader jaw. Wisdom teeth grew in to give them more chewing power as a result. Because the jaw was wider, the wisdom teeth could grow without difficulty. But evolution Issa MF. Our species have (mostly) evolved to Homo Sapiens- but these evil teeth have refused to go, even though they serve little purpose and cause more harm (thank God)
DO WISDOM TEETH GROW BACK? - Tufiakwa (claps hands). No! Wisdom teeth do not grow back after they've been removed. In fact, it’s one of the most common oral surgeries performed today, with about 10 M wisdom teeth extracted annually in the US . Over 90% of Americans have their wisdom teeth removed. Taaa! Don’t ask me for extraction data on Nigeria. E get as it be.
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