Praises to Pineapples

I've always known pineapple was a good fruit; it's been one of my favorites for years. However, it's been many days since I've considered it one of the handsomest fruits of my acquaintance. And when I say handsomest I mean not only good looking and delicious, but practical and beneficial for the soul.

I'll tell you why.

I got my wisdom teeth out this past Tuesday and beforehand I was bracing myself for the worst. Everyone groaned upon hearing about my post-Fourth of July plans. I was given a lot of sympathy and I was told and reminded of many unpleasant stories about wisdom teeth removal. In the midst of my anxiety, my oral surgeon recommended that I eat as many servings of fresh pineapple as I possibly could two days before the extractions to place and two days following. Apparently, among the other good qualities of the fruit are agents that decrease swelling. I went through a pineapple a day before and after the surgery and experienced swelling in the most minor degree. The steroids and head wrap probably helped a bit too. On top of the fortunate lack of swelling, the pain was also easily manageable with hardly any use of the stronger pain medications the doctor gave me "just in case." And now all four wisdom teeth are out and I don't need to worry about them growing into my other teeth or getting infected anymore. Needless to say, I feel incredibly blessed. Yay for modern and natural technology!

Before: Preparing for the inevitable swelling and pain

During: The day after surgery sporting trendsetting, anti-swelling headgear that shows off the minimal swelling of the cheeks

After: Five days after surgery and looking exactly as I did the third day after the procedure