Tooth extraction...

[Deleted User] · 06/07/10 - 15:34

I wonder if anyone could give me some advice - I think there are dental nurses/ dentists who post on here.

I had a tooth out yesterday - it was a HUGE back tooth (looked like it belonged to a stegosaurus rather than a human!), and it really did take some getting out - I also had three injections.

Today (more than 24 hours later), the gum around the area and the hole that's left is still really hurting. In fact, it's as bad as the toothache was. I've just been out and bought some Nurofen Plus which has taken the edge off it, but I'm only eating soup as it's painful to chew.

Is this normal? Am I making a big fuss about nothing?

I know there will be bruising but my jaw feels like I've done six rounds with Mike Tyson

I'd be grateful for any advice

[Deleted User] · 06/07/10 - 15:47

I haven't had any of my very back teeth out, but even when i've teeth out from the sides it aches the next day and I'm not able to eat solid foods for a good few days just to avoid any complications with the healing process.

marcina bolan · 06/07/10 - 15:53

I'm a dental nurse and will try to give you a little bit of advice. The area when you have a tooth removed can feel bruised from injections and where they have ripped a tooth out of your jaw, especially huge back teeth! Keep up with hot (as you can bear) salty mouthwashes after every meal to rinse debris out of the open wound. Avoid smoking as this can badly irritate the socket. There is something called dry socket which is an infection of the socket (smoking can contribute to this but it happens in non smokers also), and can feel worse than toothache! For this you would need to see your dentist for a diagnosis and he/she will give you antibiotics to clear the infection.

Ibuprofen tablets are very good for toothaches, and you can use them in conjunction with paracetamol. But if you have dry socket I'm afraid it's also antibiotics you need.

[Deleted User] · 06/07/10 - 16:00

marcina bolan wrote: »

I'm a dental nurse and will try to give you a little bit of advice. The area when you have a tooth removed can feel bruised from injections and where they have ripped a tooth out of your jaw, especially huge back teeth! Keep up with hot (as you can bear) salty mouthwashes after every meal to rinse debris out of the open wound. Avoid smoking as this can badly irritate the socket. There is something called dry socket which is an infection of the socket (smoking can contribute to this but it happens in non smokers also), and can feel worse than toothache! For this you would need to see your dentist for a diagnosis and he/she will give you antibiotics to clear the infection.

Ibuprofen tablets are very good for toothaches, and you can use them in conjunction with paracetamol. But if you have dry socket I'm afraid it's also antibiotics you need.

Thanks for your advice. Just been googling dry socket - hope I don't have that! (although I know that googling anything medical is never a good idea!). I've been rinsing with salty water and I'm hoping that it will sort itself out. How long would you say I should go before seeing my dentist again if the pain doesn't ease up?

marcina bolan · 06/07/10 - 16:06

I'd have said after 48 hours if the pain is agonisingly bad like yours sounds, I'd get myself back to the dentists as after a day or so the wound should just ache in comparison to it being as painful as toothache! I'd give it until tomorrow. Maybe ring your dentists today (if they are still open) and ask their advice, they may suggest you come in for a further appt for the dentist to take a look and will try to squeeze you in somewhere! But you could possibly have dry socket if the pain is that bad for you.

Abbasolutely 40 · 06/07/10 - 16:25

I had dry socket a while ago , The pain was 10 times worse than the tootache and I sat on the floor and cried one evening It was going alnog my jaw and onto my ear , my ear was agonizing ..Nothing would ease it and I could see a white something in the tooth socket ,.I thought it was a piece of food but turned out it was bone .
The dentist failed to tell me not to rinse my mouth for the first 12 hours and I am presuming the rinsing I did dislodged the blood clot which needs to form .
She put a dressing in the wound and I got intstant relief .

[Deleted User] · 06/07/10 - 17:10

thanks everyone - going to see how it is tonight and tomorrow morning and if the pains still as bad then I'll ring the dentist.

I wasn't sure if it's usual for the pain to still be hanging around - I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to all things dental

Off to take more Nurofen Plus now (it's been five hours since last lot). Marvellous stuff

[Deleted User] · 06/07/10 - 19:06

marcina bolan wrote: »

Keep up with hot (as you can bear) salty mouthwashes after every meal to rinse debris out of the open wound.

Sorry to be pedantic but hot water really isn't recommended for this! It could destabilise any blood clot and cause more problems..

..but otherwise the advice marcina has given is sound

[Deleted User] · 06/07/10 - 19:34

A dry socket isn't necessarily infected. It's where the blood clot in the socket has been dislodged and left the nerve endings open to the air and food bits and so on. It's often caused by rinsing the mouth out with water too vigorously. Best not to do any rinsing for the first day and then very gently after that.

cosmo · 06/07/10 - 19:46

Try pain killers with codeine.

Nurofen Plus or Co-Codamol are good for tooth-related pain.

Before anyone jumps on me - ALWAYS READ THE LEAFLET.

[Deleted User] · 06/07/10 - 21:46

Quick update - the pain is pretty bad now and my lower jaw is swollen too (I look like a lop-sided hamster

)

I'm going to see the dentist tomorrow as I think I do need antibiotics.

I know that paracetamol can be taken with ibuprofen, but can it be taken with Nurofen Plus? As this has codeine in it will it be harmful?

Feel bad enough without overdosing on painkillers

Thanks to everyone that gave me advice earlier by the way.

Abbasolutely 40 · 06/07/10 - 21:51

Diamondl1fe wrote: »

Quick update - the pain is pretty bad now and my lower jaw is swollen too (I look like a lop-sided hamster )

I'm going to see the dentist tomorrow as I think I do need antibiotics.

I know that paracetamol can be taken with ibuprofen, but can it be taken with Nurofen Plus? As this has codeine in it will it be harmful?

Feel bad enough without overdosing on painkillers

Thanks to everyone that gave me advice earlier by the way.

Codeine , Nurofen and Paracetomol are three different familes .
So you can take Nurofen Plus ( the plus is codeine ) and Paracetemol together . But not Solpediene or any Paracetemol with codeine added . .

[Deleted User] · 06/07/10 - 21:57

Thanks Abba for your speedy reply - am off to the medicine cabinet in desperation

Abbasolutely 40 · 06/07/10 - 22:03

Diamondl1fe wrote: »

Thanks Abba for your speedy reply - am off to the medicine cabinet in desperation

Aw, I feel for you and know what its like . I could nt take Nurofen so was left with only Codiene and Paracetomol , The Nurofen at least may ease it . Try a hot water bottle on that side , it helped my ear at least .

[Deleted User] · 06/07/10 - 22:15

Thanks I will.

I now have Nurofen Plus and paracetamol swilling about inside me so am hopeful of some relief. What a horrible thing this is! Worse than the toothache!

Feeling very sorry for myself - roll on tomorrow

Abbasolutely 40 · 06/07/10 - 22:17

Diamondl1fe wrote: »

Thanks I will.

I now have Nurofen Plus and paracetamol swilling about inside me so am hopeful of some relief. What a horrible thing this is! Worse than the toothache!

Feeling very sorry for myself - roll on tomorrow

I actually sat on the floor and cried . Havent done that in many moons . Roll on tomorrow . Take the tabs in four hours again if need be too .:(

epicurian · 06/07/10 - 22:31

Glad you've got an appointment with the dentist. A few weeks ago I had two wisdom teeth removed and I had the same jaw pain you described as well as pain at the extraction sites-- I couldn't even chew! For me, it took about two weeks for the pain to finally subside. Ibuprofen was my best friend. Hope it goes well for you tomorrow!

Darthchaffinch · 06/07/10 - 22:43

I had dry socket after an extraction- not nice, at all.

One thing I did find on the web was an article collating info on dry socket (can't find it now)- it concluded that it's far more likely to happen if its a bottom tooth, and that rinsing with corsodyl before the extraction helps cut the risk of it occuring! Now keep a small plastic bottle for putting a splosh of corsodyl in to take to the dentist and use before I go in.

[Deleted User] · 07/07/10 - 00:04

Hi OP, I can't add anything but I just wanted to say that I hope to goodness you can get some relief asap. It is truly utterly miserable to have any sort of dental pain and I feel so sorry for you. Let us know how you get on

.

twingle · 07/07/10 - 01:35

oh so wish I hadn't read this thread. I have a big back molar being extracted next week!. I have had a few extractions and touch wood never had any problem. In fact been told I heal very quickly but now that I have read this thread am sh*t scared!! Plus the antiobiotics i have just taken to kill the infection hasn't done a bit of good and I know from previous experience that anaesthetic doesn't take with infection:eek::eek:

[Deleted User] · 07/07/10 - 17:20

Just back from the dentist - feeling so much better

He packed some dressing into the hole left by the tooth - this was a bit tender but not painful. He's also given me some antibiotics. it was dry socket as suggested by many posters on here. Only slight downside is that the stuff in my mouth tastes absolutely foul! I think it's some sort of clove ointment - horrid.

But anyway, taste aside, I'm feeling much better - still a bit of pain but nothing like it was last night. Thanks to everyone for their advice and sympathy.

[Deleted User] · 07/07/10 - 17:24

twingle wrote: »

oh so wish I hadn't read this thread. I have a big back molar being extracted next week!. I have had a few extractions and touch wood never had any problem. In fact been told I heal very quickly but now that I have read this thread am sh*t scared!! Plus the antiobiotics i have just taken to kill the infection hasn't done a bit of good and I know from previous experience that anaesthetic doesn't take with infection:eek::eek:

Oh Twingle - please don't worry. I've had other extractions (I've got terrible teeth - not to look at, but in terms being strong and healthy

) and never had this problem before. I don't think it's that common.

Anaesthetic does work with infection in my experience - I've had treatment when I've had an ongoing infection and it's been fine.

Good luck with it - I'm sure you'll be fine. Let us know how it goes.

Abbasolutely 40 · 07/07/10 - 17:32

Diamondl1fe wrote: »

Just back from the dentist - feeling so much better

He packed some dressing into the hole left by the tooth - this was a bit tender but not painful. He's also given me some antibiotics. it was dry socket as suggested by many posters on here. Only slight downside is that the stuff in my mouth tastes absolutely foul! I think it's some sort of clove ointment - horrid.

But anyway, taste aside, I'm feeling much better - still a bit of pain but nothing like it was last night. Thanks to everyone for their advice and sympathy.

Oh good news. Yes its a clovely dressing and I remember not caring once it helped .Things can only get better now and you will feel so much better .

[Deleted User] · 08/07/10 - 03:49

When I had one of my back top wisdom teeth out a couple of years ago I was super-paranoid about dry socket.

[Deleted User] · 08/07/10 - 13:13

I'd never even heard of it before. Then I made the mistake of googling it :eek:

Note to self: never look up medical conditions on the internet!

twingle · 09/07/10 - 10:27

Diamondl1fe wrote: »

Oh Twingle - please don't worry. I've had other extractions (I've got terrible teeth - not to look at, but in terms being strong and healthy ) and never had this problem before. I don't think it's that common.

Anaesthetic does work with infection in my experience - I've had treatment when I've had an ongoing infection and it's been fine.

Good luck with it - I'm sure you'll be fine. Let us know how it goes.

I have had to reschedule until the end of the month- I am wanted in Holland to babysit the grandchildren while mum and dad party for the final (hope they win!!
)

Diamond life glad you are on the mend

Hey there!

Quick Links

Tooth extraction...

Comments