Hi Apalooza,
Okay, I understand your heightened anxiety over this dental event. It is common for people to feel anxious and worried about the whole process and to be very concerned about what the future holds after the swelling goes down.
The immediate denture is meant to be worn immediately after the extractions. I am uncertain as to why the oral surgeon suggested that you not wear it. Unless you had infection in your sinuses and he wanted that to drain through the sinus exposures? But not wearing it is likely one reason why you have so much swelling, it's not the only reason, but one of them. Nothing you can do about that now and I would suggest that you not worry about it. Get through the healing phase first. It may be possible to modify the denture so it fits.
The fact that you smoked up until the day you had the extractions is a factor in what is happening post operatively. It is great that you stopped and hopefully you will never smoke again. However, when a person stops smoking their oxygen level increases and the gum tissue can become saturated with oxygen. This can plump up the gums and you may even notice they bleed sometimes, but the inflammation will dissipate. Your body is trying to detox from the chemicals in the cigarettes.
By any chance are you chewing tobacco?
What are you doing to deal with the nicotine withdrawal?
Dry eyes are often allergy related, even to things like dust mites or pet dander. It could also be a sign of dehydration. Get some eye drops for Dry Eyes to help lubricate them. Use them just before you go to sleep at night and again in the morning. See if that helps.
A dry mouth is typical for a smoker, even after they stop smoking. It is also typical for someone who has had a lot of extractions at one time. But this could also be due to dehydration and/or poor diet one that is high in sugar, carbs or starch. Can you eat fruit? Blend or puree it?
Your mouth has gone through a lot with just 10 extractions. Add to that the recent smoking habit which you stopped just prior to the surgery. So you have a lot of healing that needs to happen, more so than someone who didn't smoke.
Use the salt water rinses no more than 3-4 times a day. Put a dash of salt in a 3-5 oz cup of warm water and rinse until the cup is empty.
Eating solid foods can be difficult and irritating to the wounds. So drink your food as much as possible. But is it possible for you to puree food in a blender or make home made shakes or smoothies that are healthy? Ensure and boost are loaded with preservatives and sugars... not healthy drinks :-(
It's great that you cut out soda... another habit that hopefully you won't go back to. If you think you are diabetic, it would be wise to have your dr do some blood work for that.
One excellent way to promote healing and eliminate toxins from the body is to drink plain water throughout the day. It is usually ideal to drink enough water that equals half your body weight in ounces. For instance, if you weighed 100 pounds, strive to drink 50 ounces of water per day. Not all at once as that is too rough on the renal system. But spread that 50 ounces out throughout the day with like 6-7 eight ounce glasses of water or 10 five ounce glasses of water. Staying hydrated with water will help with the healing and help you feel better overall.
Are you still taking the Tramadol? If you don't need it, don't take it. It can also cause dry mouth and other unpleasant problems.
Are you taking any other meds? Many of them have side effects like dry mouth, dry eyes, all sorts of things. So if you are taking something, it could be contributing to the problems you are having with your mouth.
If you go to the ER they are likely going to give you more meds, none of which will help heal your inflamed gums.
Things like meditation, yoga, walking, listening to music, expressing your creativity and other things that nurture the mind and body are very helpful with anxiety in general. Perhaps you would consider some of those things and find them to be most helpful.
You will get through this, but it's important and so helpful to take good care of yourself along the way. When do you go back to the oral surgeon?
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by apalooza
Bryanna, To answer your questions, No I do not have any remaining teeth on the same arch. I was a smoker but I have not smoked since the day of my extractions. I do not know if i am diabetic but most likely am. I had a bad soda habit which I also quit the day of my extractions. I do have dry mouth and dry eyes but never dx with anything.My mouth (and eyes) have been so dry at night I wake up with my tongue stuck to my gums I think i may have un-diagnosed Sjogren Syndrome. I dont know what to do. My oral surgeon is no help to me. All he told me is to come back in 2 weeks. I am not wearing any dentures because when the oral surgeon did my extractions there was sinus communication so they said my immediates were a no go. So now i do not know when I will even get teeth state insurance will not pay for another set. They will have to make the immediates work... There were no bone grafts I am not eating hard or chewy food, actually I am hardly eating I do drink ensure and boost. I have been rinsing a lot with salt water but have cut it down ..it was way more than 4 times a day. I thought it may contribute to my slow heal/ dry mouth. I feel like as long as I am laying down, The swelling goes down a little idk cuz im losing it here. I do have panic disorder, I also tend to get a lot of panic attacks when ever I am sick but this teeth thing is the worst. I have dental phobia I went into this with massive anxiety with no help from oral surgeon. he would not even give me meds for anxiety prior to procedure and afterward sent me home on tramadol for pain which sucks. Im lost in this panic idk what to do. My next step will be ER I cant take it anymore.
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