Hate to sound like a hypochondriac...this about an extracted tooth

[BusynMember]

Over two weeks ago I had a back tooth pulled. The dentist isn't that great, but he is the only one I can afford. Almost three weeks later, I'm still eating Ibprofen (great for my GERD) because my jaw hurts so much. I've gone back twice and he never takes an x-ray. He just packs it with something that doesn't do any good. Tomorrow my regular doctor is going to take an x-ray, but has anyone ever had a tooth pulled and had the spot it was pulled from still hurt two weeks later? And it hasn't gotten any better. All he says is that there is no infection that he can see, that the spot is healing (yuk, yuk) and that the bone is very sore (big DUH!). I never heard of this happening to anybody before so I thought I'd throw it out to you. by the way, this spot never hurt at all before he pulled the tooth..lol. I should have kept it

 

[AnnieO]

OK, first thing - dump the ibuprofen and take a couple extra-strength Tylenol - sometimes the change is all you need.

Second, if it was a molar, it is possible that he hit a nerve wrong. I still have sensation in the 2 I got pulled last July. Well, where they WERE. Sensitive to cold and hot, somehow...

The X-rays are NECESSARY. Also if you can handle cold, try a very cold wet tea bag - this stops bleeding, too, for future reference.

Just because you cannot see an infection doesn't mean there isn't one, which is why the X-ray is needed.

And... tooth pain ranks higher than migraines on my NEVER WANT list.

 

[witzend]

It could be dry socket. What did your dentist say that it was? He must be packing it for a reason...

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/dry-socket-symptoms-and-treatment

 

[tiredmommy]

Is the pain along the bottom of your jaw bone or close to the joint? Is the pain constant? Throbbing? Dull? Was there a lot of swelling?

 

[hearts and roses]

Yep, it sounds like dry socket. You must drink A LOT OF WATER!! You can alternate advil and Tylenol and that usually will help. Rinse your mouth, especially that area with warm salty water ever hour. Dry socket does not require antibiotics. However, you can demand xrays to be sure. Try the other things first.

 

[Signorina]

DS had his wisdom teeth out and had dry socket last week. Sounds very similar to how he felt.

Gently rinse with salt water. No sucking through straws. Easy to eat foods, no spicy acidy etc foods and no smoking.

Usually a blood clot forms to cushion the wound and fill the hole. When the blood clot doesn't fully form or gets dislodged too early, you get dry socket. Nothing they can do except pack it until it heals. Super dry mouth, stinky breath, fever indicates an infection but that isn't par for the course with dry socket.

Alternate 600-800 mg ibuprofen with 2 extra strength tylenol, every 3 hours. (tylenol at 11, advil at 2, tylenol at 5, and so on) You can take advil or tylenol pm at nighttime if needed.

Feel better soon

 

[Hound dog]

Dry socket.

Now, call him up and ask him if he has the gel they fill it with........stuff sets in under 5 mins and no more dry socket........gum grows over it no sweat. Doesn't even hurt when they fill it in with the gel. Best darn stuff in the world. I refuse to go to a dentist who doesn't have it available in case of dry sockets.

Until you can hopefully get the gel, keep it clean........rinse with salt water but no swishing, just sort of roll your head around and let the water flow into it. Salt water will help it heal faster too........but it's going to be a while without that gel stuff.

And yes, you can still have pain after extraction for a long time. Mine were mostly all pulled 2 yrs ago..............and yeah, I can still feel things in certain areas of the mouth, and sometimes it even hurts, that pounding you get with a bad tooth. Made me mad because the areas it does it in the teeth never hurt before extraction. ugh

 

[bby31288]

I agree with the group Dry Socket. Hurts terrible! Cant get the pain to go away!

 

[DammitJanet]

I would say dry sockets but I have never had one even though I have smoked and used a straw after every tooth pulled! Like I am going to wait on smoking! Im lighting up leaving the parking lot...lol. The curious part is how to get the soda in.

My mouth doesnt heal well at all and that is probably why I needed all the teeth out to begin with. I had one tooth...a back molar, which kept on hurting well past what was normally my average tolerance and it turned out that he had left part of the tooth still attached to the jaw. He had to go back in and clean it out again....oh painful! Every now and again I will still get little shards of bone that work their way out of my gums. Tiny little things that I will feel with my tongue and normally dont hurt, if they do, I just swab on some ambesol for a day or two until they are gone.

 

[AnnieO]

I'm in the same camp as Janet... I smoked on the way home from having teeth pulled... Never had dry socket. Ergo, I don't know how they feel.

What Lisa said about the gel - sounds awesome, though I'd never heard of it... And I've had a LOT of dental work... LOL!

 

[cubsgirl]

It sounds like a dry socket to me too. When I had my wisdom teeth pulled (I only developed bottom ones) I had dry sockets on both sides and I don't smoke or drink through straws. It was agonizing. They put the gel stuff that Hound was talking about and it was nearly instant relief. I hope you can get that soon - that pain was awful.

 

[BusynMember]

Ok...dry socket...you can't do anything about it...lol. It HURTS! And he has been packing it with something. I will call and find out if it's the gel. So how long does this take to go away?

This is a constant throbbing, feels like it's in the lower jaw, but if I touch the spot, it's the bone! Or near the bone!

Step, I am going to switch to Tylenol Extra-Strength. It's not as good as Ibprofen, but it isn't as bad for your stomach either.

I am also going to ask doctor for an xray.

Thanks all!

 

[witzend]

Ok...dry socket...you can't do anything about it...lol. It HURTS! And he has been packing it with something. I will call and find out if it's the gel. So how long does this take to go away?
Thanks all!

You should be able to find more information in this link.

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/dry-socket-symptoms-and-treatment

 

[AnnieO]

Actually tylenol can mess up the stomach too, but it seems to me something different is called for...

When I had the worst problems (early 20s), the dentist RXd me Lortabs (no effect except to make me vomit)... Percocet... Vicodin... All of those just made me yak my guts out and didn't help with the pain. Neither did Tylenol or Advil or even Aleve.

What did work (FOR ME!)... Isn't readily available OTC. Used to be brand-name Actron or Orudis KT, 12mg of ketoprofen. Wonder anti-inflammatory - for me. I guess it was dangerous though, they took it off the shelves. You can still get it IF the doctor will Rx - mine did, for my knee, love him!, but now the knee is mostly fine and the Rx is LONG gone (like 10 years ago gone). It's a veterinary drug, apparently...

 

[BusynMember]

Thanks all. I just gargled with salt water and then mouthwash and the pain disappeared. A little relief!!! I'm going to see if my doctor, whom I have an appointment. with today for the GERD, will refer me to the oral surgeon at HER clinic. It's much better and they take Medicaid. The regular dentists there don't, but the oral surgeons do. I wasn't thinking or I would have had these guys pull the tooth. I want that gel!!!

I can't take narcotics. They give me really odd side effects.

You've all been great, as usual. Thanks a lot

Pam