Ripply,
The smoking and alcohol slow down the healing of oral surgery. Smoking also causes the initial blood clots to be less than optimal which causes the jaw bone to become dry and predisposes the person to a bone infection. This infection may or may not be painful at the onset and could just release a foul odor until it spreads further. The gum tissue may close over and give an appearance of healing ... but underneath the gum may not be so healthy.
Yes, an xray would be helpful but it may not be conclusive if there is an infection that is not large enough to be picked up yet on the radio graph. But it is worth having it done.
Stomach problems or GERD do not go away on their own unless certain measures are taken to cure them. Like change of diet and lifestyle habits that promote proper function of the digestive system. The symptoms may be as subtle as bad mouth odor from subtle or occasional regurgitation.
Another thing that will cause bad mouth odor is the build up of debris and bacteria on the tongue. Do you brush or scrape your tongue every day? Is you tongue coated with white or does it have deep fissures?
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by ripply
Thanks Bryanna, the dentist didn't take an X-ray at the check up. It was my upper first molar and it wasn't root canalled. It had a crack in it, which made it sensitive when I was eating. I was offered a root canal and crown, or extraction. I remember your advice previously about root canals and decided to get it extracted instead.
I have no periodontal disease and my dentist has commented about how healthy my gums are. I've no root canals in any other teeth. I do smoke and I drink alcohol occasionally, but very little. I've had stomach problems with ulcers and GERD previously but it seems to be ok now. I'm not taking any medication. None of this has changed since the extraction.
I had stitches after the extraction and I know the dentist used gelfoam, which I heard can cause bad breath whilst it dissolves. But it's still just as bad 6 weeks on.
Should I ask the dentist to X-ray it again? He did take X-rays before extracting it to check if my sinus could be affected by the extraction. He said they showed it wouldn't.
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