wisdom (tooth) blues

I had this tooth as a part of my one and only body since, last, I don't remember how many years! yes, it is the past tense I have to use now. The proof of growing wisdom, is not gone, puufff, no more..

The biggest tooth in my jaw, hovering over nothing beneath it, was my 30th. It was the connoisseur of every fine food and drink I have ever consumed until yesterday! There was something with any exotic or non-exotic food and my 30th. There was an inexplicable cohesion between these two, It was always so a challenging task to separate them. Ohh, do I miss my those royal battle after every meal I consumed! May be, I never understood the chemistry between them.. I was confiding to micro mint super tuffloss evermore! It was a love-hate relationship between us, couldn't live without, and couldn't live with.. after all, it was part of my own scaffold, which, now, is history, sitting in a glass bottle coffin leaving behind sweet and sour, hot and cold memories.

Let me give you little background on Dr. chopper puller, my maxillofacial surgeon. I doubt he can ever understand anyone's (to be specific, my) love for confirmation of my wisdom. My tooth had been going delicate darling for anything i consume, very out of it's characteristics, throwing tantrums for all fine foods and drinks it adored for years. My dentist had suggested me back in 2003 to get it removed, but my strong love for my 30th was not giving up though I had been noticing little black thingie forming up on my W tooth.

With growing pains, I gave in, and called up Dr Chopper Puller, to set up an appointment. The doc was out on vacation for 3 weeks, which gave me some time to breath, in case, I want to change my mind. And on Aug 1, I had no choice, I was trapped in my own trick. I took off from work a little bit work too, little nervous, I am driving to the Dr C Puller's office. Here, they treat you like, at a salon, for a hair cut, chop chop chop, and done!! I would say that your hair stylist is little bit more involved into you while giving you a hairstyle.

At Dr. C Puller's office, handing out my insurance card to the lady at the front desk, I was filling up the forms. She got quite excited, she kind of shouted delightfully after reading my employer's name at my inusrance card, "Ohh, it's XYZ company!" I can see her calculating a big fat incentive she is soon to get by charging my insurance. Here, I am worrying about my tooth, with which, I am parting for good, and there, she had already started day dreaming about spending her perks at hawaii.

The most disconcerted wait period was over. A lady dressed in a ight blue net like gown over her dress lead me to a small 12X10 room assisting me to sit on "the chair". This was the last destination for my wisdom tooth. She tried to push an x-ray film in my mouth from all the possible angles, to take a last picture of my last loved one in the row. She could not succeed, got another lady with a different clip to bite on with an attached film in my mouth. Finally they accomplished the big job.

Again, I was left to spend few last minutes with my 30th alone.. Meanwhile, on the other side, both the ladies were setting up the doc Chopper Puller's tray with pliers and injections, and many more handyman's instruments which I don't even know the names of. I saw a big long injection of the length about 8 to10 inches. The masked man enters finally, lowers my back-rest and my chair to have my head in tilted position looking towards a ceiling. The nurse wrapped a bib like thingie around my neck. I obediently opened my jaw to the Dr. Chopper Puller displaying proudly and nervously my dearest tooth. He rubbed an anesthetic swab before he mercilessly poked a 3 inches long needle in my gum line, on my soft pallet surrounding my wisdom tooth. Again, I was left to witness / experience fading sensation of my tooth. The doc came in again, now all set for the action.

I opened my jaw as wide as I can. I closed my eyes from this moment on. The last picture I remember of seeing was of nurse, holding a suction tube, and doc with plier like instrument in his hands, both masked, wearing safety glasses. That was it! He was pulling my teeth out of my mouth as if a carpenter pulling a nail from wooden log. This struggle lasted for 3-4 minutes. Then, I saw him putting gauze in my mouth, asking me to bite hard on it for at least next 30 minutes. I was done! 5 minutes, and the surgery was done! I don't know what emotions I had, but it definitely was not a happy feeling. I walked to the front door after prepaying the amount they were to charge my insurance, with a post-op instructions in my one hand. and I was dragging myself to my car, gettting ready to drive in the rush hour bumper-to-bumper 5 miles an hour traffic for next 30-40 minutes holding blood and saliva mixture in my mouth , not letting it go down the throat. I just had a "surgery"...

The only good thing I remember about the whole episode is that the dr. chopper puller called me at home later in the night, asking me how I was doing while I was stirring soup in a pan on the stove..

I miss my 30th tooth, the WISDOM tooth...