Look away now if you’re a bit squeamish! A few people have asked me to tell them how it went with having all four of my wisdom teeth removed under general anaesthetic and I thought this blog would be the easiest way to do that.

There’s a saying that goes ‘gain a child, lose a tooth’. Since my pregnancy last year, my lower left wisdom tooth has been going crazy. It was going up and down like a yoyo and then in July it suddenly appeared with full force. Except it couldn’t properly because my jaw bone was in the way, so it was half up and half caught underneath.

I went to see an amazing and lovely dentist in Hamburg (who spoke English to me and had a cracking sense of humour). She X-rayed my mouth, said that I’d definitely need the tooth removed as it was 12mm wide and stuck, and referred me to another dentist who could remove them. I decided I’d have them all removed because the bottom right was also close to the surface and the top two were angled strangely.

Next up, I had a consultation with the second dentist. They were also great and spoke English to me. I asked if I could have the teeth removed under GA (I can’t cope with all the noises that go on with dental work) and we spoke about everything, especially how it would work with breastfeeding. Apparently I would be able to feed my daughter again eight hours after the surgery.

Then I waited a month for the surgery, which was worrying me. I’m terrible with all things vein-related and I knew that I’d have to have something inserted into my hand or arm for the GA, which scared me more than the idea of having the teeth removed (although I experienced so many needles and blood tests during pregnancy that it has got a bit better. At least I don’t cry for the whole night before a blood test now).

The day arrived (yesterday) and I ate a croissant and had a drink at 4am when I did a feed. As the op was arranged for 10am, I wasn’t able to eat anything else again, although I was allowed a glass of water at 8am. The hunger was the worst bit at that point! I am a breakfast person!

I arrived at the dentist’s surgery and had to sign a form and answer a few questions, which was all in German. Then it was really quick. I went straight into the room and sat in the chair, told them my German might not be great, and cried a little bit as I told them I was scared about the cannula. The two women with me were REALLY kind. One held my hand and soothed me while the other inserted the cannula into my left wrist and asked me questions about my little girl and where we had been on holiday etc. They put an oxygen mask over my mouth and told me to relax and breathe deeply, then they told me I would fall asleep soon and to dream something nice. I remember feeling a cold rush and slight pain in my left wrist and then I was out…

The next thing I remember was waking up in the recovery room next door when one of the women gently told me to. I thought ‘That sleep felt so good, can’t I sleep a bit longer?!’ and then I remembered where I was and my throat felt really sore – I think that was from where they may have inserted a tube into my mouth. I couldn’t feel anything in my mouth – it was completely numb, as were my lips, which made drinking a little water through a straw very difficult!

After a few minutes, my boyfriend and baby came into the room. We waited for a few more minutes and then I was allowed to leave. I was only there for a total of about 1.5 hours!

As the sedative and drugs started to wear off, I became aware of some pain and decided to go for the higher dose of Ibuprofen, even though it means I can’t breastfeed while I take them (my daughter also drinks formula from a bottle and I had pumped and frozen some breastmilk). I put cool packs on my cheeks as soon as I got home and it was just a little bit swollen. The grossest part was thinking that I had gauze in my mouth – I checked and actually it was just the stitches. Because I poked about a bit with my tongue, they bled a little but it stopped quite quickly.

I just ate soup and yoghurt yesterday and can still barely open my mouth today. The night was ok until 4.30am, when my face felt burning hot. It got really swollen overnight so today I look like a chipmunk and am starting to have some bruising around my jaw (I’m putting arnica cream on and keep applying the cool packs).

As today has progressed, so has the swelling. It started just around my chin but now my lower face has become very swollen. That is the most uncomfortable part of it because I can’t open my mouth, smile, chew or speak properly.

Eating is really rubbish! I’m very hungry but have to eat really slowly and take tiny amounts off the end of a teaspoon. It has to be liquid or something that will melt in my mouth and I feel like I’m never full. The stitches make it feel like food gets caught behind my teeth so I have to make sure I don’t poke around there with my tongue like yesterday.

It’s important to keep your teeth clean at this time but that’s pretty horrific to do. I have to hold my cheeks away from my teeth to get the brush in and am scared to get too close to the wounds at the moment, although apparently I should brush around them too in the next few days.

But I survived! And hopefully I’ve got some wisdom left. The third day is supposed to be the worst for swelling so I’ll see what tomorrow brings…