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Gaining wisdom through removal of third molars

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Contributed by: Pam Vetter on 9/13/2008

When I received my son's full mouth dental panoramic x-ray at our home, I was shocked to see the size of his wisdom teeth. Ian is 14 years old and his four wisdom teeth were huge. His third molars were crooked and pushing on his regular teeth, threatening to rearrange his smile.

Examining the x-rays took me back to the day I had my four wisdom teeth removed. At that time in history (yes, it was in the early 80s), my family dentist did the removal of my wisdom teeth. There was no specialist brought in to do my surgery.

I was only given Novacaine and remember far too much of the removal. Not a pretty memory, honestly. Instead of spending money on ice or special ice bags, I remember my mother freezing bags of green beans, corn and peas.

Yes, I held those bags on my face to ease the pain. When the vegetables started to thaw, she replaced them with new bags of frozen vegetables. I don't remember my recovery after surgery being lengthy, but who can truly remember the early 80s. I was only a few years older than my son is now.

Realizing now that my mother always knows best, my first thought about my son's impending surgery was, "I'm going to be freezing a lot of vegetables."

Receiving Ian's referral attached to the name of a specialist was nerve wracking. One never knows what to expect and since there was surgery involved as the teeth were impacted, we wanted the best. We thought we'd have to shop around for months to feel comfortable.

I had talked to other adults who had their wisdom teeth removed one at a time. I thought, who wants to go through surgery four separate times? I wouldn't want to and I didn't. One surgery, four impacted molars, and within an hour they were removed.

I worried unnecessarily. Honestly, I have never dealt with a kinder, gentler doctor, wonderful nurses and staff, than the Tarzana office of George A. Maranon, D.D.S. His practice is limited to oral and maxillofacial surgery.

From the moment we entered the doctor's office, we were greeted with smiles. Every step of the way, details were explained to both Ian and me. The nurse explained the process in detail. The doctor entered the room and shook our hands. We looked at the x-rays together.

The generous doctor treated Ian as the patient and didn´t talk about him in third person. He spoke directly to him, as he understood that a 14-year-old kid deserves to know the process as well.

He told him everything. He even discussed the use of the Jaw Bra that Ian could wear after surgery. The Jaw Bra was basically a fitted piece of material that holds two ice bags to wear around your head. Using refreezable ice bags, the Jaw Bra keeps the ice close to the surgical areas through the cheeks. I was fascinated with the Jaw Bra and so was Ian.

Honestly, I couldn't wait to see if the thing worked and how it worked. I wanted to buy one for my mom back home in Pennsylvania and send it to her, just for fun. I described it to my mother over the phone and she seemed equally as fascinated with the Jaw Bra.

We scheduled an appointment prior to the start of the school year, because Ian didn't want to miss too much time from his classes.

The night before surgery, the doctor phoned our home to see if we had any questions. How many doctors ever phone your home? A dedicated one. In hearing his voice, we knew we were in good hands and slept well.

The day of surgery, we weren't nervous one bit. Prior to being called back for surgery, we sat in the outer office giggling as we searched for hidden pictures in a Highlights Magazine.

Finally, Ian was called back for surgery and walked off alone. I sat in the outer office and read some rather interesting National Geographic magazines. The surgery took less than an hour and Ian was completely sedated throughout the process. I am grateful for this decision because Ian won´t have the disturbed memories I have from the removal of wisdom teeth.

As Ian recovered, the nurse invited me to sit by his side. His eyes were still closed as he wore his light blue Jaw Bra. Honestly, I was fascinated with the Jaw Bra.

I know that sounds crazy, but compared to my childhood, this marked huge progress. I don't know when it was invented, but I think everyone should own a Jaw Bra, just in case of a facial injury or facial surgery.

After a short while, Ian woke up. He was sleepy, but the nurse gave him a choice of walking out of the office on his own or using a wheelchair. He smiled and said he wanted a ride. "How often do I get to ride in a wheelchair?" he asked. So, he took a ride all the way to the car.

We went directly home after surgery and Ian immediately got on his computer. He was doing great after surgery. That evening, the phone rang. It was the doctor checking up on his patient. Again I ask, how many doctors follow-up with personal phone calls? It wasn't the nurse phoning me, it was the doctor.

For the next day or two, Ian drank a lot of liquids, such as Ginger Ale and Jell-O. No hot foods, no rinsing and no straws as the doctor ordered. The doctor provided us with a list of advice to follow after surgery and we adhered to everything.

Ian practically memorized the list of directions, so his recovery would progress. Ian eased back into eating soft foods and eventually real foods. In less than two weeks, he was back to normal and ready for school, although not ready for eating crunchy things and definitely not peanuts or popcorn, which are big no-no´s after this surgery.

But, honestly, it was perfect timing for the start of school!

When we returned to the doctor's office for a checkup, we were greeted as though we were part of the family. I don't know how they did it, but the entire staff managed to connect with us in such a personal way, that if I saw any of them outside of the office, I would definitely thank them.

As a follow-up, we received a beautiful letter in the mail from the doctor along with a $29 refund check for overpayment. Yes, you read that correctly: We received a refund check from the doctor´s office. That's a first for us.

The doctor's personal letter closed by saying, "It is our goal to try to improve upon the service that we provide. We look forward to hearing from you, if you have any suggestions." So, I decided to write back to the doctor on ValleyNews:

Dear Dr. Maranon,

My suggestion to you as requested in your follow-up letter: Keep delivering your wonderful services by treating your patients with the greatest care. You and your entire staff have made a difference in our lives and we are forever grateful. Nice and friendly, you're connecting with your patients in a personal way.

I also have to thank you for giving Ian his two upper teeth to keep as a souvenir after surgery. As Ian looked at the teeth through the plastic bag, he asked with a smile, "You think the tooth fairy will give me $5 a tooth if I put the teeth under my pillow tonight?" It's nice to know that kids still believe in tooth fairies if there's money involved.

Thank you again for serving the Valley community in a way that is personal, caring and honest. You haven't heard the end of me. In fact, I will be seeing you again in the future as I have another son, Alex, who is 13-years-old. He can't wait to have his wisdom teeth out so he can get his very own Jaw Bra.

Keep up the wonderful work!

All my best, Pam Vetter

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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments

Submitted By: Danielle Fairlee

posted on 9/24/2008 @ 12:28:10 PM

Rated Story

We used Dr. Maranon for oral surgery when my boys BOTH needed "extra" teeth removed prior to getting their braces on a few years ago. Like you, Pam, I remember my similar surgery with TERROR, and Dr. Maranon was totally different. Merely a "blip" for the boys, with a simple recovery. He really is great. (And very reassuring for us parents...)

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Submitted By: Shannon Mitchell

posted on 9/18/2008 @ 11:47:14 AM

Rated Story

Wow, where was this guy when I had my 4 wisdom teeth out!? I have such horrible memories of my surgery...wakeing up in the middle of it, vomiting after I awoke, and suffering (to this day) with a dislocated jaw! Kudos to your son for takeing it so well and being a trooper. ....can I have a Jaw Bra too ;-)

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Pam Vetter

West Hills , CA

Pam Vetter has posted 309 stories and 75 comments since joining on 8/21/2006. Pam Vetter 's average story rating is 4.98.

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