I am happy to have found this site. I had my top left wisdom tooth removed 4 months ago due to a cavity in the tooth (it was in my mouth, not impacted) and I had lost the clot, but had not gotten dry socket as far as I know. I am 40 yrs old and the one and only cavity I have ever had. The site was healing nicely in all areas except the area right next to the tooth in front of the one extracted.

I have been 4 months with what looks like a small line of gum not healed (not fused together side to side) and then a hole still remains very small against the tooth in front of the one extracted like no gum there up to the bottom edge of that tooth root. I hope this makes sense? The hole is causing me some serious stinging and I get a swollen area on the inner side of my mouth from the extraction site all the way to the eye tooth on the same side. It comes and goes and seems to swell when there is the pain as well. The pain in that area is on and off as well.

Some days the pain causes me to cry and other days it is just there slightly, then some days not there at all. I have been to 2 dentists and both say it is nothing to worry about, but that was a month ago and it is no better and looks a bit worse.

Also, I get itchy gums some days and not others as well. I am very concerned that 4 months later the area is still not healed and looks the same as it did 2 months ago. I had a dental laser that tests for mouth cancer run through my mouth, nothing, all is good. The area of the small hole is dark pink whereas the rest of the site of the removal is a very light pink like the rest of my gums. Some days when it hurts all the gums in my mouth will become red and inflamed around the tooth edges then on the days with no pain the gums all looks perfect and feel great minus the dark pink in the area of the hole.

My concern is the hole seems to be getting larger and when I talk too much in a day I go to bed in tears. 2 dentists, no answers other than having a deep cleaning on my gums which at this time I feel is just going to irritate the entire problem. I have never had gum swelling, itching, nothing until this tooth was removed, now some days I want to scratch all the gums in my mouth! I admit I seriously need a tooth cleaning and neither dentist I have been to will do a cleaning to begin and see if this helps. Last time I had my teeth cleaned was 4-5 yrs ago even though I use a water pic (not near the site) and brush 2x a day.

Anyone heard of this? I have no odd taste in my mouth, no funny color on the area with the hole other than dark pink, nothing, just what I described above.

I am a serious dental phobe and having the tooth removed was probably the worst experience of my life, and I just do not know what to do from here, but want this to heal and end!

Any advice is appreciated.

Interesting Bryanna just posted a response below about medications that lead to dry mouth. I have been on xanax for panic disorder for 18 years and I do have dry mouth and constantly sipping water all day. Could this be the cause of my site not healing correctly?

If this IS the case what to do now as my doctors refuse to remove me from this drug due to the long term use and the severe implications of discontinuing this med.

Ana,

Having a dry mouth predisposes you to tooth decay and periodontal disease. If you must continue with the drug then it is best to get your teeth cleanied and then see your dentist regularly. So if anything comes up it can be dealt with while it is still minor.

You would have to be guided by a physician if you wanted to get off of the xanax. But even if he put you on a different medication, it would still have the same side effect. But you could talk to him about it.

Bryanna

I hate to come to you with another question, but there are issues going on with my housemate. We need your advise. One year ago, her childhood dentist of 25+years, discovered a loose molar, furthest back molar upper right. He attached the tooth to the one infront of it for stability. After that she was unable to floss between these teeth. She developed pain.
Update, one year later, she goes to my new dentist. He prompty tells her both of these teeth are loose and must come out. She had them pulled. Then he tells her she has a mouth full of peridontal disease, and must have all quadrants deep root cleaned. He also told her that this disease would have been apparant last year when she visited her origional doctor. Her former doctor said she was just fine with the rest of her mouth, no problems. So what is going on here? Should she go for another opinion before investing this money for deep root cleaning? Personally she has really good cleaning habbits, no bleeding, does floss etc. Which doctor isn't telling the truth? How is she able to make a choice if two versions of her mouth is being given. she could not have developed this serious a condition over night, or even in one year according to the new dentist. she had trusted her origional doctor. What to do? It is $700 to do all the deep root cleaning. thanks for your responce Bryanna, she really doesn't know what to think ginnie

Hi ginnie,

It's OK to come to me with questions.... anytime!!

To clarify what this person's childhood dentist did.... he bonded two molars together because they were not stable enough to be on their own. This means that she had periodontal disease in at least this area of her mouth that was causing these teeth to become loose. The problem with doing this is that the outcome of both of these teeth will be hopeless because if she can't clean them properly the bacteria that is causing the disease in the first place is now able to proliferate. This bonding technique is rarely done anymore for just those reasons.

Your dentist was being honest with her. Generally, periodontal disease is not localized to one area of the mouth and if it starts out that way and is not brought under control, the disease will progress quickly to other areas of the mouth. If a tooth or teeth are so loose that they need a buddy to hold them up... that's a sure sign of periodontal disease and you're right, those teeth did not get loose over night! The bacteria had to be living in there for many months if not several years.

If she is uncertain as to what to do.... I would suggest she consult with a periodontist... she should bring her xrays (ALL of them, even from her previous dentist) to show a history of what is going on in her mouth.

Does this information help?? More questions.... just ask me

Bryanna

Thank you Bryanna. She will go ahead and deep clean all the teeth. Now we know the truth. Her childhood dentist didn't tell her the truth or even put the notion into her head, that she had peridontal disease. Of course she is deeply hurt by this lack of care and information. She had been going to him for 25 years. I think that is some very poor dentist to do that to her. he charged 1,000 to hook those teeth together, when he knew it wasn't the right course of action. It horrifies me to know he is in practice and does this to a long time patient. At this new office, she is going to be seen by the periodental specialist. They bring in all fields of expertise there, and she will trust this place. To tell you the truth, I am upset by what he did to my best friend. The more I hear on this site, the more I am understanding that dental practice is not always done with competent people. This peridontal disease can lead to heart trouble among other things. He put her life in jeopardy by falsely giving her treatment that was worthless. I so appreciate you taking the time to tell all of us to the best of your ability the truth in our situations. With Knowledge, we will be able to figure out, what is good dental practice. thank you Bryanna for being here for us. peace to you over the holidays. ginnie

[I take xanax also. I take it at night and do have dry mouth all night long. I keep water bedside and take sips during the night. I am going to tell my doctor about this. I will also seek Walgreens, there is a mouth wash on the market that helps with dry mouth. I havn't heard if bryanna knows of this product or not. ginnie

Hi ginnie,

The mouthwash recommended for dry mouth is called Biotene. Some people have success with this, while others not so much. The main reason for the lack of success is because it is the medication that is causing the problem so irrelevant of what you do, the problem will be there as long as you take the medication. People who take these meds long term have lots of dental problems and even when they stop the drug, the saliva does not increase to what it should be because at that point, the condition is not able to be reversed. Although many people rely on these drugs on a daily basis, they really should be used for short periods of time.

Bryanna

Thats the stuff Bryanna. I was going to give it a try. I am kinda worried about it too as I know dry mouth irritates and leads to more dental issues that I don't need. This xanax is truely needed, I have a pre-cancer in my throat. Upset causes the stomach to produce acid, which further erodes my esophogus. Proton pump inhibitors do not always work even at a double dose. Severe family trouble, that will wind up with a pro-Bono lawyer in court. I can't control it as there is so much grief involved. Is there another medication that does not cause this side effect that you know of? My doctor is super compassionate once he found out what my family was doing. He would change the medication, I have no doubt. ginnie

Bryanna,

I totally agree! I was put on xanax 3x a day at age 18 and my dr kept me on this drug for a few years before I realized the negative impact of xanax. By the time I was old enough to really start paying attention to my health and the implications of such drugs it was too late for me to just quit. I do hope some on here taking Xanax are only doing it for a very short period of a few weeks, it is one of the nastiest px drugs and the addction is terrible!