My name is Ruth Calcanas and this is my 3rd blog: Chipmunk Cheeks For Life. On August 19th I am scheduled to get my wisdom teeth removed and out of all the complications that could happen (I'm a "special case" the surgeon says, which brings a whole bunch of "special case" possible complications along with the title) I am worried about how long I will look like a chipmunk. So that led me to the wonderful, not scary at all, invention of the internet to look at people's experiences. After having so many problems with my teeth (which require intense[?] treatment) and consulting Dr. Internet every time, one would think that I would learn that people only blog and post about their horrific experiences. Despite my experiences consulting the internet, as I mentioned earlier I looked up the approximate amount of time I would be a chipmunk for. After seeing many poor souls who were still chipmunk faces on day 10, I began panicking knowing I start school 6 days after my surgery. Looking for reassuring posts that my face would not look like Dr. Frankensteins nightmare -Dr. Frankensteins monster being his happy unicorn dream- when I start school, I came across a blog about a girl's journey through Double Jaw Surgery. I quickly went through her whole blog looking for before and after pictures since I am doomed to a similar fate: Maxilofacial Surgery. I liked her blog and being an "experienced" blogger, I am aware blogging can be very therapeutic even if I am not ranting. Considering I feel like crying every time I go into a dentist, orthodontist, or surgeons office to discuss my "special case," a blog solely dedicated to my #firstworld (yes, I am aware my problems are superficial and there are people out there with worse problems than me) oral problems will help me realize that it is not a big deal and I will get through it.
*Deep Breath*
Okay, with all those "", (), [], # and *'s later, let me finally give you the Explanation of The Name! :D When I first got braces in November I noticed my cheeks looked a little puffier than usual and I ranted to my mom about my chipmunk cheeks. Then, I started to experience the wonders of braces and began accidentally biting the insides of my cheeks. CONSTANTLY. Which led me back to my mom to rant some more about the chipmunk cheeks... in my mouth. After I finally got used to that (8 months later -_-,) I was told I needed to get my wisdom teeth removed, now, if I wanted to make room for my bottom teeth to straighten out which led me to the Oral Surgeon's office, the whole discussion about "special case complications," and then to research Dr. Internet's time diagnosis of chipmunk cheeks that I mentioned earlier. I know I will heal from my wisdom teeth chipmunk cheeks just like I healed/got used to braces chipmunk cheeks however, I also know I will have a year of progressively reduced chipmunk cheeks after my jaw surgery. In conclusion, on my bad days, like today, it seems as if I will have Chipmunk Cheeks For Life.
Thank's for reading,
Ruth Calcanas
