wisdom

the third molar teeth in the human's mouth are more commonly known as the wisdom teeth. they generally come in between the ages of 17-25 (at least according to the person who updated the wikipedia entry), and gained the nickname because when you get to be that age, you should have some wisdom. i like to think that the two are more intertwined than that, though, and that your wisdom teeth actually help you to gain wisdom, rather than represent a time in life when you have gained wisdom.

everyone these days gets their wisdom teeth out. even my brother, who has never had any dental work other than cleanings (thanks to him getting all the good teeth genes and me getting all of the bad teeth genes) needed to have his wisdom teeth out. nowadays, it is a pretty common procedure. in fact, when i got my teeth taken out earlier this month, i didn't even have to be knocked out with anesthesia. even though two teeth were impacted, i was just given nitrous oxide to calm me down.

listening to 17-25 year olds talk to each other about wisdom teeth shows that it is now a shared experience. someone who is getting the teeth taken out talks to someone who has already had them out and there is a reassuring smile, telling the newbie that it is going to be okay. on the other hand, two wisdom teeth-less people can commiserate about the pain and the swelling while reminiscing about the pain killers and ice cream, because no matter what reassurance you give someone who is getting their teeth taken out, you both know the truth. it sucks. that the pain is bad, you look like a chipmunk, you can't open your mouth all the way, you can only eat things a baby could eat and there are only so many episodes of the new "let's make a deal" that you can watch.

you also know that you get through it, though. after a week, eating food with a fork becomes a big deal, you can open your mouth the whole way, you don't need to take any pain killers to get through the day. then finally, a few weeks later, you realize that you are back to your normal routine. while most things are the same, something is different. there is no longer that dull pain from before when the teeth were coming in. there is a little more room in your mouth for your other teeth, your necessary teeth, to hang out and be happy. after some intense pain and a few weeks to get over it, you realize your mouth is new and improved.

learning from your wisdom teeth that intense pain can lead to healing and growth can put most things that happen between the ages of 17-25 in perspective. you leave home, go to college, graduate college, get your first job, leave your first job. you make friends and leave friends, succeed and fail, and learn how to go on when things aren't going your way. your third molars aren't just nicknamed your wisdom teeth because they arrive at the time when you should be gaining wisdom. they are nicknamed that because they teach you how to find wisdom in otherwise painful life experiences.