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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2014 18:24:28 GMT -5
As some of you know I'm having a TON of dental work done these days, by a dentist who has a great reputation and who is also a very close friend of a very close friend.
He has been DH's dentist for years but I only switched recently. DD came back from Cali last year after breaking a tooth. The dentist in Cali didn't charge her (he was a friend's dad), but he made her promise to make her mom (ie me) promise to switch dentists. Turns out I've been going to a POS dentist for 30 years. All four kids have already switched to ANOTHER dentist friend (who is closer so easier for them to get to), but after a lot of hesitation, I switched to this guy instead.
I had one wisdom tooth out last Tuesday (under local anaesthetic). I drove myself home and did other errands that day, but then I felt pretty wiped out (which the dentist warned me would happen) so I took it easy for the rest of that day and the next day.
I'm scheduled to have the other one out on Tuesday. I'd like to get it over with because as a teacher, I'm off now. But we are going on vacation 10 days later. My dentist is going away 3 days later.
So my questions are:
- I'm not in pain (I never was) but the place where the tooth was still feels slightly weird / raw / mushy. Is this normal? - Is it a problem to do the other one just 10 days before we go away? (I'm guessing not, or he wouldn't have planned to do it then, but I'm feeling in need of reassurance) - How long would it take to know if something is not as it should be?
Thanks!
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kjto1
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Post by kjto1 on Jul 26, 2014 18:36:18 GMT -5
If you are not having pain/discharge I would think the mushy is the mouth healing. I had the upper two pulled out, but the bottom two had to be surgically cut out. I had stitches in my mouth (that fell out on their own). You could call the dentist on Monday to talk about your concerns (rather than at your appointment). Also, ask him for an emergency phone # in case you have issues while he is on vacation. (Probably for a colleague.)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2014 18:44:01 GMT -5
Great points Kjto1, thank you!
MAJOR OUCH at having those wisdom teeth cut out!
I will go anyway without calling first because I need to pay him the next installment. He is giving me great prices so I want to make sure my payments are up to date before he goes on vacation.
But I will DEFINITELY ask him for the name of one of his colleagues (there are several dentists in his practice). It would make me feel MUCH better to have an emergency contact number for somebody who is there. (I have his cell phone number but I know he will be away.)
Thank you!
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msventoux
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Post by msventoux on Jul 26, 2014 18:45:57 GMT -5
It's been a while since I've had mine out, but as I recall the mushy feeling lasted for quite a while. It didn't hurt and wasn't tender after a few days, but it took a long time for the area to grow over completely. I wouldn't think your timeline would be a problem given how you've reacted to the first wisdom tooth out. When I had mine out I took some type of OTC pain killer, not whatever was prescribed, and I was careful of what I ate for a few days. It wasn't traumatic at all, nothing like the horror stories I had heard.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2014 18:52:49 GMT -5
Thanks Msventoux! Same here! I wasn't ever in pain but I did take Paracetamol regularly for the first 36h (out of fear).
He told me to stay cool, because he said there are two things that can cause bleeding: the heat, and nightfall (?!). So I did my errands on the way home and then stayed home for the rest of the day and very close to home the next day. No bleeding beyond the initial bleeding in his office (I had to bite down on a compress for 1h after I left his office, I did it for 1.5h because I was terrified of having to change the compress. Yes I am a wuss LOL.)
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Jul 26, 2014 20:10:59 GMT -5
Rinse with salt water, too
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Jul 26, 2014 20:28:21 GMT -5
Had my last 2 wisdom teeth taken out 4 weeks ago. One of the sides has healed more than the other but they're both not quite done healing yet and these were upper teeth while the bottom ones are the ones that are more prone to dry socket. Only thing I saw about travel and getting them out is to not fly for 14 days after. Guessing this may be due to the nasal effects when the upper ones are removed but I'm no dentist and not sure if that's the reason. FYI mine bled most of the rest of that first day.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2014 20:34:34 GMT -5
Zib, good point about the salt water / mouthwash! I have a medicated mouthwash from previous work so I'll use that.
Soudoubt, ouch for you too LOL! Mine are upper teeth too. We are not flying, we're driving. But 4 weeks?! ... I think I'd get that checked out. That sounds long to me.
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Artemis Windsong
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Post by Artemis Windsong on Jul 26, 2014 21:01:31 GMT -5
DON'T RINSE YOUR MOUTH OUT. You will dislodge the blood cloth. I got this advice to rinse and had 4 dry sockets over a weekend then had to go in on Monday and have them packed.
The less you do with your mouth the better. No sucking on straws or cigarettes. Soft foods until you are healed.
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Jul 26, 2014 21:11:31 GMT -5
Soudoubt, ouch for you too LOL! Mine are upper teeth too. We are not flying, we're driving. But 4 weeks?! ... I think I'd get that checked out. That sounds long to me. To clarify when I say healing I mean the gums are still settling over the bone. I went to the dentist 10 days ago for my regular cleaning and they noticed it was still healing and weren't surprised. There's no issues with bleeding, soreness or anything like that and I was able to brush without any sensitivity issues less than a week after.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jul 26, 2014 21:15:40 GMT -5
Mushy is normal-after all, a tooth used to be in that spot and you have loose gum flesh with no tooth to surround..
I had the best dentist in the world take out my only two wisdom teeth (uppers) - my dad. It will take several years for the holes to fill in. That part is not painful at all.
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sapphire12
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Post by sapphire12 on Jul 26, 2014 21:31:25 GMT -5
It's been years since I had my wisdom teeth pulled. There wasn't enough room for them. I wasn't in pain, but they take longer to heal than other teeth. Wisdom teeth are huge and all of mine were partially impacted. The mushiness lasted awhile. The stitches were in for a week. The gums took awhile longer to heal, but I had been eating a regular diet since about 2 days after, I think. Of course, I was only 18 when mine were pulled. I've heard it's much worse as we age. Whew, missed that.
Salt water rinses will help with everything.
Good luck and speedy recovery.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2014 23:08:34 GMT -5
I had all 4 of mine surgically cut out. There were holes and "mushy" feeling for a long time. It's all solid now, but it's been years since I had it done. I don't know how long it took.
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Spellbound454
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Post by Spellbound454 on Jul 27, 2014 4:39:20 GMT -5
It gets a layer of white cells over the top of the wound which you must be careful not to dislodge....as it aids healing
A bit of very gentle salt water gargle several times a day will keep your mouth clean
and don't poke about with it...with your tongue.... or eat anything which will damage the wound.
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Peace77
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Post by Peace77 on Jul 27, 2014 6:25:22 GMT -5
Don't do any fake "kissing" afterwards. I did the pursed lips and made kissing noises to call the cat after my wisdom teeth were taken out and it caused a painful dry socket. Had to make a return trip to the dentist.
My dentist did not allow people to drive themselves afterwards but I had more than 1 removed.
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bobosensei
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Post by bobosensei on Jul 27, 2014 9:13:57 GMT -5
My dentist did not allow people to drive themselves afterwards but I had more than 1 removed. My experience with European dental care versus American is that European dentists use less pain killers during and after treatments. You tend to get novacaine and motrin here in Europe whereas in the States you would be put under or at least have laughing gas then get a months worth of percocet or oxycodone. That is why she could drive home afterwards, she only had local anesthetic.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 27, 2014 10:13:22 GMT -5
DON'T RINSE YOUR MOUTH OUT. You will dislodge the blood cloth. I got this advice to rinse and had 4 dry sockets over a weekend then had to go in on Monday and have them packed. The less you do with your mouth the better. No sucking on straws or cigarettes. Soft foods until you are healed. Setiously. You do not want to dislodge the blood clot that forms, or you will wind up in all kinds of hurt.....called dry socket. I've not had it, but a friend has and was is some fairly bad pain.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 27, 2014 10:23:15 GMT -5
My dentist did not allow people to drive themselves afterwards but I had more than 1 removed. My experience with European dental care versus American is that European dentists use less pain killers during and after treatments. You tend to get novacaine and motrin here in Europe whereas in the States you would be put under or at least have laughing gas then get a months worth of percocet or oxycodone. That is why she could drive home afterwards, she only had local anesthetic. It depends on how the teeth need to come out, so you can't generalize like this. A simple extraction, with no issues you get lidocaine and Motrin in the US too. But if they have to dig out roots, it is a bit more complicated. They can get a good idea as to how complicated it is going to be from X-rays. One part of my job was collecting tissue samples from third molar extractions in the US....so I got to watch a LOT of them. I think I was in the room 50x one summer getting tissue. Some patients were out, some were not. Those where they had to dig out teeth usually got narcotics, where it was a difficult extraction. If narcotics were given, then they got 10-20, not a month's worth.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jul 27, 2014 11:30:56 GMT -5
I was put under for all four of mine. Part of it was my choice and the surgeon was okay because my mouth was super crowded so it would have been difficult. I rinsed with a syringe and this stuff they gave me. My roommate had hers done earlier and got dry sockets, I did not want that! For what it's worth I was told to rinse after meals with the syringe.
I got 600 or 800mg ibuprofen. I can't remember now, it's been too long.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Jul 27, 2014 14:15:10 GMT -5
Amount of pain and recovery is highly dependent on the teeth, if they came in or if they are impacted.
I had my top 2 pulled out with local. Went home, no big deal. Bottom 2 I had anesthesia and painful recovery. I remember taking Demerol and freaking out when seeing the Michael Jackson thriller video - ok I am old.
I actually have 5 wisdom teeth. The 5th is very small and doesn't bother me. Apparently I am 25% wiser than most people! Then one son only had 3.
DD19 is getting his taken out on a Monday the week before he has to start college classes. Hoping he will heal quickly.
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Peace77
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Post by Peace77 on Jul 27, 2014 14:40:31 GMT -5
My dentist did not allow people to drive themselves afterwards but I had more than 1 removed. My experience with European dental care versus American is that European dentists use less pain killers during and after treatments. You tend to get novacaine and motrin here in Europe whereas in the States you would be put under or at least have laughing gas then get a months worth of percocet or oxycodone. That is why she could drive home afterwards, she only had local anesthetic. No, I only had local anesthetic. The dentist usually prescribes enough pain medication for 3-7 days, not a month. I've never had general anesthesia or laughing gas for dental work. .
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2014 17:06:25 GMT -5
Thanks a lot for all the advice! I did NOT rinse (except when I brush my teeth of course, don't see how I can do otherwise).
I did have just a local anesthetic, the tooth was not impacted and came out pretty easily, so driving home wasn't an issue. It still feels a bit tender but I guess that's normal.
I go back on Wed to get the other one out. I'm guessing that if all goes well with this one the dentist will pull the second one.
Thanks again!
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jul 27, 2014 19:15:11 GMT -5
I had my wisdom teeth pulled years ago. All four at once because I am a chicken.
I think I had the laughing gas type of anesthetic. I was told to have a driver. We stopped on the way home and to fill a prescription for percocet, which I took for 3 days.
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jul 28, 2014 9:53:55 GMT -5
My experience with European dental care versus American is that European dentists use less pain killers during and after treatments. You tend to get novacaine and motrin here in Europe whereas in the States you would be put under or at least have laughing gas then get a months worth of percocet or oxycodone. That is why she could drive home afterwards, she only had local anesthetic. It depends on how the teeth need to come out, so you can't generalize like this. A simple extraction, with no issues you get lidocaine and Motrin in the US too. But if they have to dig out roots, it is a bit more complicated. They can get a good idea as to how complicated it is going to be from X-rays. One part of my job was collecting tissue samples from third molar extractions in the US....so I got to watch a LOT of them. I think I was in the room 50x one summer getting tissue. Some patients were out, some were not. Those where they had to dig out teeth usually got narcotics, where it was a difficult extraction. If narcotics were given, then they got 10-20, not a month's worth.DH got a month's worth when he went. However he only took the percocet for 3 days (with no side effects, the man's a tank). He was also given a script for anti-nausea and 800mg ibuprofen. He had to have all 4 removed and was put completely under for the procedure. He also had an argument with me while he was all drugged up insisting that I get a Starbucks coffee for myself (I didn't really want one but he wouldn't settle down until I was drinking it ). I was born without 3 of my wisdom teeth. My fourth one is laying on its side with it's roots pointing back toward the back of my mouth and the crown pointing at my molars. The Dentist and Neurologist can't seem to decide if it needs to come out or not.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Jul 28, 2014 9:58:37 GMT -5
My kids reacted differently to the anesthetic. DD woke up crying/very emotional. DS woke up and was telling jokes to the dentist.
They both got a weeks worth of percocet. DD took them all and said "Now I know why they sell those on the street!". I made DS take 1 the first day, but he didn't take any after that.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jul 28, 2014 10:09:10 GMT -5
All my wisdom teeth had erupted so I opted for just novacaine. DH thought I was insane but honestly I am more afraid of anesthesia than I am dental work. My grandmother died from a bad reaction to anesthesia. So far the one time I've been under I take after my dad but if I don't HAVE to have it, I'll pass.
He had the top two out in less than 5 minutes. The bottom two took longer because they came in sideways but it wasn't that bad. The noise was a bit disconcerting but I didn't feel anything.
DH said he'd be watching the patients before me come rolling out in wheelchairs drooling. Then here I come practically skipping and talking up a storm thru the gauze.
I didn't have any problems with swelling or dry sockets thanks to following the take home instructions to the letter. I think I got 3-5 days of Vicodin but I didn't need them.
I had mushy gums for quite awhile, especially on the bottom because they had to take a bit of my jaw out along with the teeth. I still have a bit of a problem with there being pockets in that area, I really need to get myself a water pick.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 28, 2014 10:32:43 GMT -5
I had my wisdom teeth pulled years ago. All four at once because I am a chicken. I think I had the laughing gas type of anesthetic. I was told to have a driver. We stopped on the way home and to fill a prescription for percocet, which I took for 3 days. Ditto. Except I don't remember what my scrip was for beyond a painkiller. I had mine done on a Friday and spent the weekend sleeping on my Mom's couch. I'd wake up, go to the bathroom, eat and say hello to everyone. Take the next round of pills and go back to sleep for another 4-8 hours. I did have cavities in a couple of wisdom teeth - my dentist did temporary fillings on them until I got them removed a few years later. I don't remember pain before or after the removal but my dentist didn't want to deal with them so he sent me off to someone else. I'm a wimp so I paid to go under (insurance covered local only) ETA - I knew damn well I wasn't going to go back later to have the rest dealt with so we did all 4 at once.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jul 28, 2014 10:38:18 GMT -5
I asked the oral surgeon about doing two at a time and he said unless it is for insurance/payment purposes he doesn't see the point. He said if you're a wreck when it comes to dental procedures you might as well get knocked out once and have all four removed then have to dread two visits.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Jul 28, 2014 13:11:51 GMT -5
I had two that were impacted. The oral surgeon told my mom to get the other two out so I never went through this again. Rinse carefully with salt water, no swishing, just roll it around and spit.
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jul 28, 2014 14:26:50 GMT -5
Ok Dumb question: What's an 'impacted' tooth?
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