Got my infected tooth extracted and the new bridge put in yesterday. I'm feeling really sore this morning and not where I would expect to be sore. The interior side of my mouth above my upper lip in SO sore the entire length of where the new bridge is. There's lots of little bumps and sores and a whole bunch of white stuff. This also appears on the gum line above the bridge.

I saw the dentist this morning for a follow up and they said to just rinse with warm salt water because this is just me "shedding a layer of skin" and that its just because my mouth got so dry when they were working on it yesterday. UGH...at first the dentist's assistant was all, "I don't see any white stuff or bumps" and then it was "that's no bog deal." I know I am likely overreacting because it's sore and not painful like much of the other stuff I've been through...but darn it all I would like for things to just go nicely at least once while I'm getting all this work done.

Any idea how long something like this will remain sore if I do the warm water rinses?

Hi catra,

The sloughing off of tissue up under your lip and on your gum above the bridge can occur for any number of reasons. However, the most common one would be because the dentist had a cotton roll or two up in that area and it got stuck to your dry lip and gum. He then pulled it off without wetting it first. This may have caused an irritation and pulled away some of the oral tissue. You may end up with canker sores up there from the irritation which could take up to 3 weeks to heal.

Rinse with warm salt water gently.... not too salty though. Just a pinch or so of salt in 3 oz of water is adequate. You could also rinse with 100% aloe vera juice which would soothe the irritated tissue. Or if you had an aloe plant you could break off a leaf and scrape out the aloe juice and gently apply it to both areas with a q-tip. It's best to do it especially before you go to sleep at night.... do not remove it just let it sit there while you sleep.

I'm sorry you are uncomfortable. Try to stay positive and know that this too shall pass. Keep us posted

Bryanna

Thanks. I'll be fine...just sore for a while I think. If this is the worst that comes out of this then I will actually be grateful. I'll stick with the rinses and see how it goes. There are a number of little sores in that area now...when the dentist put more cotton up there yesterday I was not a happy camper...but necessary is necessary. Fingers crossed this is the worst I have to deal with this time around.

Thanks again for in the insight and advice.