Tom,
I'm sorry you are still having problems with that one extraction site.
The toothache pain that you have can be due to the blood clot being disturbed early on after the extraction as well as the frequent cleaning of the socket... all of which can cause the bone to become dry. The initial blood clot or any (undisturbed) subsequent blood clots keep the bone moist so the fibrous tissue can form and integrate with the clot allowing the wound to close. The blood clot protects the deep wound and the bone like a blanket from germs and debris. But every time the clot dislodges, germs and debris get into the wound. To make matters worse, forcefully cleaning out the wound disrupts the healing in a similar way to the dislodging of the clot as it prevents or prolongs the fibrous tissue from forming properly leaving the wound open and the bone unprotected.
Another thing that prevents or prolongs the healing process is if the periodontal ligament was not removed in it's entirety after he removed the tooth. A retained ligament can easily become a source of a bacterial infection which could cause a toothache like pain.
So the toothache you feel is most likely coming from an exposed or unprotected jaw bone and/or remnants of the ligament, other debris, or a piece of the tooth. It is best to go back and see the dentist, explain the tooth ache pain and have him take an xray. The xray is helpful for the following reasons:
1) To see if the periodontal ligament was removed in it's entirety or if it's still in the bone.
2) To see if there is other debris or a piece of broken tooth lodged in there.
3) To check the status of the early stages of healing. The bone has not begun to fill in yet as it takes weeks or months for that to show radio-graphically and up to one year for the bone to fill in completely. The gum tissue closes over long before the bone fills in.
If the ligament is non existent, there is no bony fragments or tooth remnants present in the site, and no other signs of infection ... then it could be that the repeated food impaction and the cleaning of the socket may be what is interrupting the healing process. If that is the case, then ask the dentist what he suggests you do about it.
How much water do you drink in a day? What other beverages do you drink? Staying well hydrated and avoiding sugar and fake sugar substitutes are key elements in healing from oral surgery.
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by threeputt
Bryanna, have you got any idea how long this socket will continue to hurt? Tonight is feels like a toothache but there is no tooth. I have tried my best to keep it clean.
If I had know this one tooth was going to cause this much trouble I would have left it be and waited until it started hurting before I did anything about it.
I go into the Dentist office feeling fine. Now two weeks later after the extractions the one socket is still hurting.
I had baked chicken and sweet potato tonight and used the syringe to clean the socket as soon as I eat. It did not hurt until about hour ago, 3.5 hours after I eat.
I have not eaten anything since. I just had water to drink. I wish there was something I could do to speed up the healing process. The other two sockets are fine. No pain after I eat at all. Why this one is a mystery to me.
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