As I enter day 13 of post wisdom tooth extraction pain with no signs of respite in sight, I figured it was time to stop complaining and look at the flip side. Or try, at least. Here are five unexpected benefits I’ve discovered through this saga, which has involved daily, or if I’m really lucky, once-in-two-day trips to the good ol’ dentist. I guess this is my attempt to look for the more humorous side of a far from pleasant situation, desperately seeking a silver lining behind the seat cushions of the waiting room I’ve grown to know so well, if you will.
- I’ve become a (self-proclaimed) expert at all things dental. Well, more so all things wisdom tooth related – dos and don’ts post extraction, the most effective pain killers, dry sockets, the works. It’s given me great, albeit boring, conversation topics with my dentist friends. I’m not sure yet how else this will come in handy. But if I ever need to get another wisdom tooth extracted (please God no), I’ll be a pro next time around. Lucky me.
- Along with that, I’ve become rather skilled at eating using only half of my mouth. It’s not as easy as it sounds (try it), but for whatever it’s worth, I seem to have mastered it
- My pain tolerance seems to have gone up, at least temporarily. As I try to take fewer and fewer pain killers every day, slowly trying to wean myself off them, I would like to think that my pain tolerance is marginally higher as a result. A useful by-product, finally!
- Another useful, unexpected benefit is that I’ve gotten to spend a lot more quality time with my book. I’ve sat in that waiting room endlessly with only my book for company, without the distractions of the television or internet (Airtel, too, seems complicit in this as my phone only picks up Edge, and we all know how frustrating it can be to use a phone on Edge). And believe me, with trips to the dentist as often as I’ve been making them, that translates into a lot of hours spent waiting with little else to do. I’ve gone through multiple books over the course of these two weeks; more, I think, than I would have gone through otherwise.
- You know how we all fear the dentist? It’s the one doctor everyone overwhelmingly dreads visiting. Well, I can safely say that, with all the time spent in the dentist’s chair, my fear of going to the dentist has lessened, perhaps even vanished completely. I guess it’s something to do with doing something you fear to get over it? Whatever the philosophy (and I’m sure whoever came up with it didn’t quite mean it in this context), I hope I won’t have to make use of this one any time soon. I’ve had enough dental visits to last me a lifetime.
So all things considered, this entire episode seems to have made me more skilled at some odd things, but the use of some of those skills is yet to be seen. And of the others, I hope never to see.