When the Green Bay Packers published their first injury report of Week 3 on Monday, the team listed one of the strangest statuses imaginable for an NFL team. Ahead of the team’s Thursday Night Football game this week, rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse was estimated to be a limited participant had the team practiced on Monday (which they did not do because of the short week), but the injury was formally listed as “teeth.”
Did Cisse crack a tooth in Sunday’s win over the New York Jets? Was he getting
new veneers put on, like so many other NFL players have in recent years?
No, as it turns out, Cisse had his wisdom teeth removed, as he told the media on Tuesday, and he expects to have no issues playing against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.
If Cisse had them removed on Monday, which would appear to be the only time that he could have had the procedure performed, it would be an impressively quick turnaround to play on Thursday even if he has no complications. Typically, patients are kept on a diet of exclusively liquids or extremely soft foods for the first few days following the extraction as bleeding and swelling gradually resolve.
Speaking from my own experience, the recovery from that procedure, particularly if the teeth are impacted and all four are removed at once, can take several days. In high school, I had mine removed on a Thursday morning and I was still taking pain medication the following Monday, four days later. Playing on a Thursday night after a Monday morning procedure, at least in my own experience, would have felt impossible.
Admittedly, I neither am nor ever was cut out to be a professional athlete, so Cisse’s mileage will surely vary from my own. Still, his status will be worth monitoring over the next 48 hours, even if he currently believes that he’ll be able to suit up normally this week.
Maybe he can consult with his fellow rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton on the procedure. Surely, someone with the initials DDS will have some opinions on dental surgery.
