I'm not so sure where the wisdom was in that, but having lived so long dealing with the yearly on and off pain due to the lack of space for proper alignment and growth, it actually became my norm, along with occasionally griping about the nuisance.
The eventual removal of the 1st of 3 was done fifteen years ago. It left such an indescribable drugged up mark in my psyche and gap in my lower gum line, I was prepared to bear the brunt of the further 'growing pains' of my remaining wisdom teeth than experience that trauma again. So I settled uncomfortably into an existence of sharp shooting pains and occasional migraines, but since it only happened once or twice or thrice or whenever a year it was fine!!?
However, 15 years almost to the day of the 1st removal, I had to schedule the removal of both wisdom teeth. Xrays showed just how damaged they were, how far into my sinus cavity the roots had grown and the impact one of them had to it's neighbouring molar (root canal on the horizon very soon).
I was so afraid of the initial pain and discomfort of removal (and cost), I had actually made things worse for myself. Turns out that it would have been less painful and cheaper if I had taken them out earlier.
Thankfully having two health insurance policies I paid nothing out of pocket. Tooth 2 took some work and made the dental surgeon SWEEEAAT but out it came in under 1 hour. BUTTTT that 3rd, stubborn left upper wisdom tooth took almost 2 hours of work by two dental surgeons working in tandem, cutting, drilling and sweating in unison to get that monstrosity and bane of my existence out of my mouth.
Now unlike the 1st tooth extraction which was just as big and intrusive as the 3rd, back then I was given some 'horse tonic' knock-out pain meds. This time around due to my delicate stomach, I could no longer take such strong meds, so regular ibuprofen and antibiotics would have to suffice. I should've realised that the fact I could feel my lips again, whilst listening to the regular post-op chat, I was in for some PAINNN.
Having to drive home with 3 kids and a now dead cell phone (thanks kids) meant I could no longer call for backup on a busy pre-emancipation afternoon. So with my mouth packed with gauze...the slowly creeping discomfort became full blown excruciating pain 5 minutes into the drive. That 30 minutes in traffic caused me to unbuckle my seat belt, turn on an off the AC, unlock my door, turn on and off the radio, grip the steering wheel, start and stop undressing and cry silent tears so many times, it was the 1st time I ever heard and saw my kids remain deafeningly silent as they watched me go temporarily insane.
By the next morning despite NO SLEEP, HUNGER, SWOLLEN FACE & did I say HUNGER plus CAN'T SWALLOW without holding onto the furniture for support, it dawned on me that it was Emancipation Day. What a day to realise the magnitude of what freedom meant.
The importance of the struggle, the fight as well as the loss of life of our forefathers all for the right of personal freedom, freedom for their children and future generations. Despite all the initial pain, my mouth was finally free. No more blinding headaches, swelling, cuts...yes more healing and a procedure to come, but no more Comfort of Pain, just the Joy of Freedom.
The fallacy of 'comfort' often reminds me of the story about 'The Falcon and the Branch':
A King received a gift of 2 falcons. Beautiful birds which he gave to his falconer for training as they were quite young. They were trained for months but only one bird would fly whilst the other sat perched on a branch. Nothing he tried including summoning other trainers, sorcerers and healers from all over could ever make this falcon fly.
One day a farmer passing by the palace heard about the stubborn falcon who wouldn't fly, so he decided to try his luck. Having tried everything else, the desperate King gave the farmer permission to try to make the bird fly.
In the morning the King was surprised and thrilled to see his two magnificent birds soaring in the sky. He then brought the farmer before him to answer his questions. "I would like to know your secret?" the King said. "Tell me how you achieved what more trained men couldn't do? How is my falcon flying?"
The farmer smiled and looking calmly at the King and he said "It's quite simple your Majesty, I just cut the branch the bird was on!!"
Like the King we often have nagging problems which we make worse by ignoring the obvious due to our tunnel vision blindness, resulting in even bigger problems. What is so simple can be obscured by either an inability to seek or take notice of the obvious solutions. For me despite knowing what caused the problem, I continuously dealt with the discomfort due to my fear of initial pain, hopping from dentist to dentist somehow expecting a different prognosis.
The story of the Falcon and the King teaches us that "We are made to fly. But at times we sit on our branches, clinging to the things familiar to us and never attempting for change. The possibilities are endless, but most remain undiscovered because we never attempt to go beyond our comfort zone. We conform to the familiar the comfortable, the mundane."
So just remember to look for the obvious, get outside of your comfort zone, destroy the branch of fear you cling to and free yourself to the Glory of Flight!!"
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