For some people, having your wisdom teeth removed is a rite of passage to adulthood.

Me? I was nervous.

I had my wisdom teeth taken out on Feb. 28 in Centerville. I knew my face would be sore for four days. I knew I would be stuck eating foods I could immediately swallow such as pudding or soup.

I tried my hardest to postpone the surgery as long as possible by saying my teeth did not hurt, and I could bite into hard or crunchy foods without pain.

But my teeth began to hurt two days before the surgery. On the first appointment, I had an X-ray taken of my teeth to see the position of the four wisdom teeth. My teeth were mesially impacted, which meant they were tilted towards the adjacent teeth which is why they began to hurt.

The oral surgeon said it would be best to remove the teeth now rather than wait. If I waited any longer, I would have to remove the teeth surrounding the wisdom teeth. He said the surgery would take 30-40 minutes to remove all four teeth.

The next week was the day of the surgery. I went in at 8 a.m. and the surgery took less than an hour.  I felt extremely dizzy from the anesthesia, but I was able to move and walk on my own. The nurse helped me into the car and urged me not to talk for a few hours. But if you know me, then you know I love to talk.

The 40-minute car ride back to my house was filled with me saying that I could not feel the lower part of my face, and how I felt great because I could not feel anything.

When I got home, the drugs started to wear off and I felt an extreme amount of pain. I had to wait for one hour because my dad left to go get the prescription. During this time, I went to sleep and woke up right when he got home.

For the next four days, my face doubled in size and it was difficult to chew my food. I lived off pudding and tomato soup, then advanced to mac and cheese. After five days, it was easier to chew food and I began to eat soft solids again such as steamed vegetables.

Now, it has been almost a month, and I have no difficulty chewing or brushing my teeth. It still hurts to completely open my mouth and I feel a little bit of pain after eating but I am healing.

Although having my wisdom teeth removed was the worst experience of my life, I am happy that I got the surgery done rather than waiting and having more complications later in life.