jeffce
Hope you get to feeling better. 
Discussion
Wisdom Tooth
13 min read
Deleted Member
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW JIMBO 1 
I first saw one of your posts on the day I was accepted to the ClassRoom (april 1
). I read your request to be excused because of your WTR (wisdom tooth removal) Project. At the time, for some reason, I thought you were going away and so I didn't post anything assuming you wouldn't see it.
Since then I've been busy learning as much as I can to become fluent communicating on WWT to lay foundations to prepare me for that ever ominous **insert scary music here** first PL request.
Part of my self-devised preparation is to go through the forums and meet folks. I came here and saw "Replying to Wisdom Tooth". Then I remembered "Oh! That's the guy whose post I read before! So I entered and read your angonizing saga!!
I feel SO BAD for you! I've spent about 4 years as a dental assitant specializing in "4 handed dentistry" and working much with oral surgery which included periodontics (gums), dentures and wisdom tooth removal among other proceedures. My #1 job was to monitor a patients' levels of fear and/or pain at any given moment and to eradicate it at first sight. So…I did!
No one should be in that much pain right after oral surgery. If you are, it's most likely due to needing more and/or another kind of pain med added or switched.
If you were in that much pain during the proceedure, someone forgot to screen for infection. If you had an infection going in…any novacaine used will be rendered useless. The proper response to an infected wisdom tooth is to first treat the infection with anti-biotics. Once that's gone…THEN you do the surgery. It usually takes 10 -14 days to make sure it's cleared up.
When reading through your post as in a timeline…if I'd a seen that you had come home in that much pain, I'd a said "Call Your Dentist"! You should be in virtually NO pain. Feeling a little lupey? Yep Swollen? yes A bit uncomfortable? yes Really, Really, Really Numb? Absolutely. Dribbling all over yourself? Of course.
BUT if you were in pain, dizzy and nauseated—something is very wrong. I suspected dry socket right away. Did they pack it with gauze soaked in clove oil?
Which ones did you have removed? Upper? Lower? Left? Right?
Did you go in with an infection?
What did they give you for pain?
Did they offer you stereo headphones and nitrous oxide?
Did they wait long enough for the novocaine to take effect…or…
Were you more numb when you left than when you were actually in the chair?
Did they offer you alternatives like "sleepy juice" or other types of low profile anesthesia?
How long did the procedure last?
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW I'm so sorry for you!
Sounds like that did not need to happen.
How are you feeling NOW?
Sorry about all the questions… …haven't talked "dentistry" in a while.
Please rest easy now and don't feel as though you have to respond, unless, of course, you'd like to!
I send you thoughts and prayers of a speedy recovery, Jimbo 1.
I first saw one of your posts on the day I was accepted to the ClassRoom (april 1
). I read your request to be excused because of your WTR (wisdom tooth removal) Project. At the time, for some reason, I thought you were going away and so I didn't post anything assuming you wouldn't see it.Since then I've been busy learning as much as I can to become fluent communicating on WWT to lay foundations to prepare me for that ever ominous **insert scary music here** first PL request.
Part of my self-devised preparation is to go through the forums and meet folks. I came here and saw "Replying to Wisdom Tooth". Then I remembered "Oh! That's the guy whose post I read before! So I entered and read your angonizing saga!!
I feel SO BAD for you! I've spent about 4 years as a dental assitant specializing in "4 handed dentistry" and working much with oral surgery which included periodontics (gums), dentures and wisdom tooth removal among other proceedures. My #1 job was to monitor a patients' levels of fear and/or pain at any given moment and to eradicate it at first sight. So…I did!
No one should be in that much pain right after oral surgery. If you are, it's most likely due to needing more and/or another kind of pain med added or switched.
If you were in that much pain during the proceedure, someone forgot to screen for infection. If you had an infection going in…any novacaine used will be rendered useless. The proper response to an infected wisdom tooth is to first treat the infection with anti-biotics. Once that's gone…THEN you do the surgery. It usually takes 10 -14 days to make sure it's cleared up.
When reading through your post as in a timeline…if I'd a seen that you had come home in that much pain, I'd a said "Call Your Dentist"! You should be in virtually NO pain. Feeling a little lupey? Yep Swollen? yes A bit uncomfortable? yes Really, Really, Really Numb? Absolutely. Dribbling all over yourself? Of course.
BUT if you were in pain, dizzy and nauseated—something is very wrong. I suspected dry socket right away. Did they pack it with gauze soaked in clove oil?
Which ones did you have removed? Upper? Lower? Left? Right?
Did you go in with an infection?
What did they give you for pain?
Did they offer you stereo headphones and nitrous oxide?
Did they wait long enough for the novocaine to take effect…or…
Were you more numb when you left than when you were actually in the chair?
Did they offer you alternatives like "sleepy juice" or other types of low profile anesthesia?
How long did the procedure last?
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW I'm so sorry for you!
Sounds like that did not need to happen.
How are you feeling NOW?
Sorry about all the questions…
…haven't talked "dentistry" in a while.Please rest easy now and don't feel as though you have to respond, unless, of course, you'd like to!
I send you thoughts and prayers of a speedy recovery, Jimbo 1.
Tomk
The good news is… even though he has been depleted of wisdom…. he is full of smarts!
Jimbo1
The good news is… even though he has been depleted of wisdom…. he is full of smarts!
Well I have something going for me at least.
Jimbo1
Jimbo1
First thing let me give you a big hug and a warm welcome and glad to see you joining the ranks of WTT, feel free to ask questions and post your heart out and congratulations of becoming a member of the classes.Since then I've been busy learning as much as I can to become fluent communicating on WWT to lay foundations to prepare me for that ever ominous **insert scary music here** first PL request.Part of my self-devised preparation is to go through the forums and meet folks
Since then I've been busy learning as much as I can to become fluent communicating on WWT to lay foundations to prepare me for that ever ominous **insert scary music here** first PL request.
Ask any time and I will add you to it.
I feel SO BAD for you!
Thank you very much and many thanks to all my friends here on WTT for your support it meant a lot to me.
If you were in that much pain during the procedure, someone forgot to screen for infection. If you had an infection going in…any novacaine used will be rendered useless. The proper response to an infected wisdom tooth is to first treat the infection with anti-biotics. Once that's gone…THEN you do the surgery. It usually takes 10 -14 days to make sure it's cleared up.
Went in Monday morning and put me on anti-biotics 4x a day and went back Thursday when they pulled it, and they used novacaine because I did not feel it when it was pulled, but it was hard for him to get it out, so he had to cut a little to get it loose.
When reading through your post as in a timeline…if I'd a seen that you had come home in that much pain, I'd a said "Call Your Dentist"! You should be in virtually NO pain. Feeling a little lupey? Yep Swollen? yes A bit uncomfortable? yes Really, Really, Really Numb? Absolutely. Dribbling all over yourself? Of course.
I felt like rocky after 15 rounds with apollo
BUT if you were in pain, dizzy and nauseated—something is very wrong. I suspected dry socket right away. Did they pack it with gauze soaked in clove oil?
Yesterday I went back because I could not take it any more and yep it was dry socket right, I told the dentist your lucky I am a preacher, because when he open it up to clean it out ooooooo I wanted to wack him up side the head. But when he hit the spot ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so much relief, I knew right away. Now this morning after sleeping all night because 1 pain pill this time knocked me out. Feel 100% better now and a little tender.
Sorry about all the questions… …haven't talked "dentistry" in a while.
Don't be, glad to chat and we have many more time to chat when needed. Send me a pm if you like.
I send you thoughts and prayers of a speedy recovery, Jimbo 1.
They worked and I feel them.
Jimbo1
PS: Again
and have a good time here.
Deleted Member
Yeah Jimbo! Seems like your over the hump!
I'm SO glad you're feeling better!
You really had a rough go!
Glad the novacaine worked! They should've waited longer before pulling to eradicate the infection.
That "knocked out" feeling is how you should have INITIALLY felt before even opening your mouth for the procedure and you should have remained feeling that way at least until the next morning.
Could be they had SOME reason for not clearing infection first–I've never heard of one, though.
Thanks a MILLION for your kind words!
Warms my heart and boosts my spirit! 
Deleted Member
Hey Jim!
I suddenly and mysteriously lost the post I was working on to send you. It would have been entitled "More Tidbits & Secrets in Dentistry". Here's some of what I said:
#1. In case no one told you yet, you'll probably have a hole where your wisdom tooth used to be for many weeks, months… or even a year or two… depending on your situation. You can speed up the closing of this hole in the following ways:
a. Even if you feel better, stay on the antibiotics until your entire antibiotic Rx has been consumed. This guards against re-infection and helps prevent bacteria from becoming resistant to the antibiotic should you ever need it in the future. (This rule is specifically for ANTIBIOTICS - not necessarily for pain medication - unless otherwise indicated by your doctor.)
b. Keep the area clean from debris. Chewing on the other side of your mouth helps - but it's no guarantee that food won't find its way in the hole
c. Ask your oral surgeon when you could begin using salt water rinses 3 - 4 times/day to flush out trapped food and hasten closing of this hole. Do NOT do this, however, until you ASK as this could conflict with treatment for dry socket.
d. Hopefully your oral surgeon will be able to suture the hole closed when the time is right. Sometimes this is not possible… sometimes it's only partially possible. Sometimes, when dry socket is involved, other measures need to occur first before doing this. Ask your oral surgeon what - in your case - can hasten filling and closing of this hole.
S/he may recommend this:
Careful, gentle and particular attention to cleaning the tooth in front of the place where the wisdom tooth used to be. You especially want to gently floss the distal (back) side of this molar. Sometimes dental "tape" is easier to handle than dental "floss". You might also ask your oral surgeon for a "perio-brush" until you feel comforable using dental floss/tape.
for tape/floss:
Ask oral surgeon to demonstrate and tell you when to begin doing this
cut a generous length of floss/tape (18" - 24")
securely position close-to-center a 2" length of floss/tape stretched between each index finger
gently wrap tape/floss around back of molar in question
gently position - as best you can - tape/floss just below the gumline
pull tape/floss tight around the molar and scrape upwards
use 3-5 upward-only scraping motions to scrape off plaque/microbials/debris
scrape clean back side of the molar 3-4x per day or after eating
for perio-brush:
ask oral surgeon to demonstrate and to tell you when you can start to do this
f. keep an eye on the area - any changes in level of pain, fever, bleeding, oozing etc should be reported right away to your doctor
#2. Clean and cared for holes heal and fill up faster and close. Perhaps your oral surgeon can give you a basic timeline on this. If the healing is taking longer than expected, make another call to the doctor.
#3. Barring any abnormal circumstances, the hole will eventually close… it can take time, though.
#4. At some point in the upcoming weeks or months, you may notice that when you bite down, your teeth aren't fitting together as nicely as they once did. This is called a "change in your bite". Notify your doctor if this happens. Sometimes there's nothing to do…but sometimes an adjustment needs to be made so that you don't develop an abscess at the root of another tooth and/or for other good reason. It doesn't take much to cause an abscess which can easily led to needing a root canal! Best to call the doctor SOONER rather than later.
#5. Your tongue will be always wanting to "check out that hole". It won't feel at rest until the site is healed. That's normal…but can be annoying.
OK, I had some cool dental factoids and trivia in post I lost… I will try to send those later if you'd like. For now, I'll send you what I have here.
Take Care!
I suddenly and mysteriously lost the post I was working on to send you. It would have been entitled "More Tidbits & Secrets in Dentistry". Here's some of what I said:
#1. In case no one told you yet, you'll probably have a hole where your wisdom tooth used to be for many weeks, months… or even a year or two… depending on your situation. You can speed up the closing of this hole in the following ways:
a. Even if you feel better, stay on the antibiotics until your entire antibiotic Rx has been consumed. This guards against re-infection and helps prevent bacteria from becoming resistant to the antibiotic should you ever need it in the future. (This rule is specifically for ANTIBIOTICS - not necessarily for pain medication - unless otherwise indicated by your doctor.)
b. Keep the area clean from debris. Chewing on the other side of your mouth helps - but it's no guarantee that food won't find its way in the hole
c. Ask your oral surgeon when you could begin using salt water rinses 3 - 4 times/day to flush out trapped food and hasten closing of this hole. Do NOT do this, however, until you ASK as this could conflict with treatment for dry socket.
d. Hopefully your oral surgeon will be able to suture the hole closed when the time is right. Sometimes this is not possible… sometimes it's only partially possible. Sometimes, when dry socket is involved, other measures need to occur first before doing this. Ask your oral surgeon what - in your case - can hasten filling and closing of this hole.
S/he may recommend this:
Careful, gentle and particular attention to cleaning the tooth in front of the place where the wisdom tooth used to be. You especially want to gently floss the distal (back) side of this molar. Sometimes dental "tape" is easier to handle than dental "floss". You might also ask your oral surgeon for a "perio-brush" until you feel comforable using dental floss/tape.
for tape/floss:
Ask oral surgeon to demonstrate and tell you when to begin doing this
cut a generous length of floss/tape (18" - 24")
securely position close-to-center a 2" length of floss/tape stretched between each index finger
gently wrap tape/floss around back of molar in question
gently position - as best you can - tape/floss just below the gumline
pull tape/floss tight around the molar and scrape upwards
use 3-5 upward-only scraping motions to scrape off plaque/microbials/debris
scrape clean back side of the molar 3-4x per day or after eating
for perio-brush:
ask oral surgeon to demonstrate and to tell you when you can start to do this
f. keep an eye on the area - any changes in level of pain, fever, bleeding, oozing etc should be reported right away to your doctor
#2. Clean and cared for holes heal and fill up faster and close. Perhaps your oral surgeon can give you a basic timeline on this. If the healing is taking longer than expected, make another call to the doctor.
#3. Barring any abnormal circumstances, the hole will eventually close… it can take time, though.
#4. At some point in the upcoming weeks or months, you may notice that when you bite down, your teeth aren't fitting together as nicely as they once did. This is called a "change in your bite". Notify your doctor if this happens. Sometimes there's nothing to do…but sometimes an adjustment needs to be made so that you don't develop an abscess at the root of another tooth and/or for other good reason. It doesn't take much to cause an abscess which can easily led to needing a root canal! Best to call the doctor SOONER rather than later.
#5. Your tongue will be always wanting to "check out that hole". It won't feel at rest until the site is healed. That's normal…but can be annoying.
OK, I had some cool dental factoids and trivia in post I lost… I will try to send those later if you'd like. For now, I'll send you what I have here.
Take Care!