By Nicholas Currier ‘20

On Saturday, Jan. 18, I had a very unusual morning. I was told to take different kinds of medicine and had to go without eating or drinking for at least 6 hours.

At 9 a.m., I went to the oral surgeon and had to sit in a dentist’s chair. The assistant talked to me about the procedure to remove my wisdom teeth. She had me sign some forms and asked for some information about me. I figure she was just going to use that information to quiz me after the procedure.

After the assistant was done talking to me, the oral surgeon came in. He told me that everything looked good to go and that the procedure would take about an hour.

Before I knew it, the assistant was putting an oxygen mask over me! The oral surgeon was sticking a needle into my arm! I was so nervous that my heart rate on the computer screen went up and started beeping!

Then there was nothing.

All I can remember was sitting in the car on the way home and then being in my kitchen.

My mom explained to me that I woke up after the procedure was over and the oral surgeon said everything went smoothly. Apparently, I told the assistant that I was dizzy, so I sat in a recliner for a few minutes. Then my mom guided me to the car where I proceeded to jump in headfirst. Once I got home, my mom and dad were both there to help me with all the medicine and to make sure I was alright.

My mom said, “Extracting 4 wisdom teeth requires trust in an oral surgeon and adherence to a strict timeline of staying on a pain management schedule. It is a funny sight to have your head wrapped in a velcro strap to allow ice packs close to your cheeks to reduce the swelling. Even funnier to yell at other drivers to ‘Mind your own business,’ as they drive past you on the way home from the surgery.”

My dad said, “It was funny to see you wobble your way to the back door. I had to help guide you up the stairs and sit you down in one of the chairs. You talked a lot of gibberish and some funny nonsense about pizza, the NFL playoffs, and breaking the rules when we gave you a glass of water.”