Sacrificed Wisdom... Tooth ;-)

Most of us love to have wisdom teeth (one tooth will be more than sufficient); that's the only physical evidence of one's wisdom ;-). I had the opportunity of possessing one. This write-up is about how I "lost" it.
To be frank, I have no idea whether pre-molar tooth qualifies for a wisdom tooth. If at all a dentist reads, I request him/her to comment of the veracity of my claim.

For long, I had an extra tooth right before my left molar. There was no problem for it to co-exist until it started disrupting the harmony of my other teeth. The disruption was sensed by my brain as an annoying pain (something like the sing-song of a mosquito, hovering near the ear which can be ignored, but it can't be ignored). A visit to the dentist confirmed my apprehensions that wisdom teeth had to be sacrificed for my other teeth to function properly in future. Surgery was advised and an appointment was fixed. Now, what does surgery got to do to pick out an extra tooth?! I asked to the same question and the doctor enlightened me that the tooth was infact growing horizontal. I understood vaguely and nodded my consent. I was prescribed with tablets and instructed to start taking them a day before the d-day.

The appointment was in the evening, on my request, as I didn't want to take a leave for such a "surgery". I had also intimated my friend at work, that if things didn't go as per plan, I would be taking a sick leave on the following day. The means of communication was delegated to an SMS, mainly because I was not sure of my ability to speak, post the complications in surgery ;-). The d-day arrived.

The dental clinic is just a few meters away from my place. I was late by a few minutes (credits to the ever increasing traffic). The dental surgeon had arrived and my dentist was also there. There were also a junior dentist and a nurse for the operation. An x-ray was taken and studied. When I saw the x-ray I realized why it was called a surgery. Most of my tooth was concealed in my gums. Only a tiny bit was visible outside the gums, just the tip of an iceberg. The surgeon would have to cut open my gums and extract the tooth.

I was seated on the special dental chair and a lamp was focused on my mouth. The doctor gave two anesthesia injections to my gums (rather to two nerves in my gums). There was a searing pain. After a few minutes half of my mouth and my tongue were numb. The apparatus were laid out near the table; miniature versions of cutting, digging and grinding equipment. Then the surgery began. My mouth was open and the surgeon's hand was inside working on my teeth. My dentist was consoling and cajoling about the surgery. The junior dentist and the nurse were looking; horrified would be the right word for the expression on their faces.

(To be frank, I was enjoying the experience. Not the actual surgery, but all that was happening around me. I was so amused that I wanted to laugh out load. It may seem strange to imagine the situation but I had to make a very sincere effort not to laugh.)

The surgery was completed in 45 minutes. It culminated with two stitches. A ball of cotton was jabbed. Strict instructions were given on what to do and what not to do. I was not even sure whether I could open my mouth to speak. I was trying to explain the situation to them in a pathetic sign language, which of-course was a miserable failure. I even called my father (read SMS) to the clinic, just to speak with the doctor. The doctor looked at me in surprise and gave the go-ahead for me to speak. I just mumbled something which was not even clear to me. ;-)

I couldn't speak properly for an entire day. Half of my face resembled lord Hanuman. I was gifted with a cute x-ray (that's what my sister called the x-ray) and a bill of 1.5K.

Well, that's about the sorry tale of my wisdom tooth.