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Originally Posted by Bryanna
Hi eyanosa,
It is important for you to realize that the infection has not "cleared" up yet. The antibiotics will help and the removal of the infected teeth will also help, but the health your immune system has a lot to do with how quickly the infection clears out of your system. Removing the source of the infection was the first step and anything you do at this point forward will positively or negatively affect the health of your immune system. So it is wise to eat healthfully, avoid processed foods, soda, and sugar as all of these things will slow down the functions of your immune system. Whole fresh foods, lots of water and elimination of unhealthy food sources is key to ramping up your immune system.
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Soda is hard to avoid when everything else in your area is a lot more expensive and you're on a limited income, but I am taking care to ensure stuff like that avoids my gums completely. For drinking purposes, I am using a squirt bottle so the soda is never in contact with the extraction sites. As for healthy stuff, for days before the extractions, I have been taking 8000 IU of vitamin A and 500mg of vitamin C, both to help speed up the healing process. Other than the soda, I am very careful of what I eat, which is mainly tomato, cream of mushroom, and chicken noodle soups.
As for the AB's, it was a 7 day course of amoxicilin (30 at 4 times a day). I started taking them a few days before the work was done and ran out Thursday (or maybe my last one was when I woke up on friday). I know, at the very least, 90%+ of the infection is gone because I had an abscess pocket on the front of the right lower second molar. By Thursday, it was half the size it was and my jaw bone in the area no longer hurt to the touch. By Friday, it was completely gone. That was the tooth that had me going into the dentist to begin with (though it seems it will be the last tooth removed lol).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanna
Avoid applying any chemicals to your gum tissue as these things will interfere with the healing cells that are sent from the immune system. So avoid anbesol, mouthwash, regular tooth paste and any other chemical laden topicals like that. Rinse with warm salt water 3-4 times a day and use a gentle herb based toothpaste or just coconut oil on your tooth brush to clean your other teeth with.
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I haven't even attempted to brush my teeth, too risky in my opinion. As for the anbesol, it was out of pure desperation. I've also been trying to find clove oil but I live so far out in the boonies, that no one carries it. I do use a warm salt water rinse and as for mouthwash, I actually use biotene dry mouth oral rinse, which seems to help remove most of the pain (I am answering this after just waking up and using it. Most of the pain went away but I can now verify that the upper left second molar is a dry socket as, unlike the lower one, that has a white film growing over it, the upper one is yellowish in color, which I assume is bone). Also, the biotene is a mostly organic, non-alcoholic mouth rinse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanna
Are you wearing temporary partial dentures? Are they rubbing against the surgical wounds?
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No. They won't give me dentures until the entire process is completed. I have medicare and medicaid so they -say- they can only make a set once.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanna
Pain for the first week or two would be expected due to the extensive oral surgery that you have had done. The dentist may have also shaved down some of the bone which will cause additional pain in those areas. However, it would be best to see the oral surgeon who extracted your teeth to rule out further infection, dry sockets or impacted food debris.
I hope this information is helpful to you. Please check back when you can.
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I would agree with you regarding seeing the local dentist whom performed all of this (couldn't go to an oral surgeon as the nearest one was a 4 hour drive and had a 2 week wait, just for a consultation), but they are closed on Friday-Sunday (no one else nearby that I can go to). I'm just trying to figure out what I can do in the mean time to help with the pain until I can go to see him on Monday. While it is a lot of pain, if I can't find something to help, I can deal as this pain is not as bad as it was (considering I was constantly balled up in tears before the extractions). I am also mostly wondering if it is usual for the front top to hurt like this. I only wonder because my dentist told me there would be absolutely no pain after 2 days, which is obviously not true (and also shows why I only had 2 days of perco).
Anyways, thanks for your response Bryanna. Hope to hear from you some more.