Where are we headed?

Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying about Dry Socket and Love o3

I got a wisdom tooth extraction on Monday, and I’ve been pretty worried about getting dry socket, a fairly common postoperative complication that can cause extremely severe pain for a week or so. Symptoms typically emerge a few days after the extraction, and it’s very tricky to figure out how likely it is unless you’re already in agony - and by then, it’s too late to avoid it (although you can get your dentist to alleviate the pain).

The testimonies on Reddit about what it’s like are pretty terrifying. Here’s a comment from a thread titled ‘What’s more painful than childbirth?’:

“I had 4 dry sockets (exposed nerves) after wisdom teeth removal and the nurse packing the open wounds said she has given birth three times and the dry socket pain is way worse. I haven’t given birth yet so I’ll see soon. Lol”

And another one:

“It’s definitely different pain but I also had dry socket in two of my teeth and it …