I avoided the dentist for over 20 years.

When some of my teeth broke about 10 years ago, I didn’t even consider going in. I just thought: “F** that noise, I’ll figure it out.”* I started chewing on one side of my mouth and managing things with a water flosser. Eventually, both sides became unchewable. One tooth was so tender I couldn’t use it at all, and over time, tartar/calculus actually grew over the opening and sealed it. To this day, I don’t know what’s going on inside that tooth.

I finally reached a point where I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I had a lot of work to do in my mouth, so my dentist and I agreed to start with the one causing pain, then handle the ones rotting away, and keep going from there.

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Two Weeks Ago
I had my upper left wisdom tooth removed. It was WAY smoother than I expected. I was terrified going in, but I took every possible precaution and did tons of research. That made a big difference in the outcome and my peace of mind.

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Today
I got the right side done—both the upper and lower wisdom teeth removed. One was decaying, and the other was impacted. Again, I’m beyond grateful that I was completely numb during the procedure. No pain, just pressure (which was still intense—let’s be honest, that rocking sensation is just… ugh 😩).

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What Helped Me Most:

🧠 Preparation is everything.
Here’s what I did that made the experience so much better:
	•	Took an anti-anxiety med beforehand (with food, to avoid blood pressure spikes).
	•	Had a detailed med schedule ready with alarms set for:
	•	Amoxicillin
	•	Tylenol
	•	Ibuprofen
(Alternated every 3 hours — so each med is spaced 6 hours apart. This kept pain & swelling down.)
	•	Brought ice packs in a cooler to the appointment so I had one on my face within 10 minutes of leaving.
	•	Prepped food in advance:
	•	Yogurt
	•	Homemade custard (just eggs, milk, sugar)
	•	Bone broth
	•	Added collagen + jam to yogurt for extra nutrition

This combo kept me full and stable, especially compared to last time when I relied mostly on bone broth.
	•	Stayed elevated while resting.
	•	Moved around gently a few times during the day.
	•	Stayed on top of oral hygiene without disturbing the extraction sites.

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Honestly, I wish I hadn’t waited this long. But everything happens in its own time, and I’m proud of myself for finally doing it.

If you’re putting it off, maybe this is your sign.
Your oral health is your overall health.
Don’t wait until it’s an emergency.

Sending love and courage to anyone preparing for this—or thinking about finally scheduling that appointment. You’re not alone. 💛

🦷 After 20+ Years of Avoiding the Dentist, I Finally Got My Wisdom Teeth Out — Here’s What Helped Me Through It