Hello.
I am new here. Had my second molar on right lower side extracted yesterday. It wasn't a totally simple extraction as there ended up being two roots where there should have been one! After many attempts and the tooth actually breaking as the dentist removed it, the tooth came out. The dentist put a gelfoam in the area and stitched the site. He then packed my tooth and waited for 20 minutes to check bleeding. He thought it looked good so gave me another gauze to go home with. I was to check it and use more gauze as needed. Didnt rest immediately when i went home but went grocery shopping. Came home and checked gauze, but wasnt too alarmed with amount of bleeding because i hadn't rested and I was quasi-active - nothing strenuous. Went to bed keeping my head raised.This morning started gentle salt water rinses with no signs of bleeding. Does this mean a clot has formed? I have a great fear of dental work, but will be seeing the dentist again on thursday for more work, so i will be checked out, but i am paranoid of dry socket. Thanks for your assistance and hand holding.

Hi fathermike,

Rinse with salt water only and very gingerly... not aggressive. Bleeding from an extraction site is normal and indicates that there is plenty of blood in that area. If the bleeding stops too soon, it can become a dry socket. BUT.... that is not always the case... and you may have bled plenty in the beginning... so do not worry! When you see your dentist on thursday, he will check the site.

Take good care of yourself and try not to let this worry you. A dry socket has some very distinct symptoms... on the 3rd to 4th day, the area becomes very painful and there is a very foul odor. Also, a fever may develop. However, if by the 3rd or 4th day the site is feeling pretty good... then you are most likely in the clear.

Keep us posted....
Bryanna

Only ones that I ever have had done. It went great.
1) To stop the bleeding, take along a soggy tea bag. Plain and black and laden with caffiene. Slip it into your mouth and discretely give it a gentle "gumming". It was almost instant! The high tannic acid content is a superb coagulant.
2) Try hypnosis. Either standard or self-. Using it to deal with dental work is as easy as it comes. If you have major work ahead, find a local psychologist to help you, but 90% of the time you are all you need. Start about two weeks ahead of time and don't even mention teeth. You will be teaching yourself to enter a hypnotic state. Your teeth are just one of hundreds things that branch off that primary tool kit. And most people can be hypnotized.

Here's how. Using your computer and a microphone and a recording app such as "Audacity' (freeware, search for it), you record three short segments. A) an induction, B) a suggestion, and C) a command. Each of the three is simple and you are not trying to be Svengali.

The induction is the longer and should be written like a school paper. It should be five to seven minutes long, repetitious, and boring. You should have three to five statements like "Your body feels very, very heavy." or "Just listen to my voice and ignore all other sounds." and "Heavier and heavier. Calmer and calmer." and "Breathing slowly and eaily." and so on. The idea is to bore yourself into an alterred state.

Don't mention specifics like your current problem. This induction module is a part of you toolkit and you are going to keep it in a safe place. When you need it, you will make a copy and use that.

You are recording into your computer in your own voice. This can be important if you are someone who has trust issues. When your subconscious realizes that it is hearing itself speaking, two things happen- we trust ourselves and avoid the reluctance that be such a problem, and since we can reuse the longest of or segments, the next time we need a custom hypno tool it is aleady 75% done!

This part, "the suggestion". is the part that relates specifically to the "hear and now". Some phrasing in a boring monotone such as "Dental work holds no problems for me. Things will go smoothly and successfully and my goals will be achieved. Time will pass surprisingly quickly and will seemingly be over with as soon as it gets started."

Copy and paste that short phrasing three time into your project. Not one. Not five. Three. (There is a reason but dinner calls.)

Finally, the third phrasing, like the first, is reusable and worth a bit more care. Something similar to: "Now as I count from one to ten, you will feel yourself beginning to drift back to normal consciousness. At ten you will be alert and feeling stronger. You can repeatedly count from one to ten, growing stronger each time and you will awaken strong, relaxed, and free of stress."


Now that is, admittedly a lap dash lesson, but give it a try. Keep to simple behavior adjustment and don't let you ego get into it. Hypnosis is a marvelous tool and, like a hammer you have to try hard to hurt yourself. If you do have deeper issues find yourself a good psychologist to guide you. I hear that there are a few good ones around here.