Spoke too soon. I feel terrible, nauseous and the extraction site hurts a bit. Hoping these are all part of the normal healing process.

Hi fearful
 

Sometimes swallowing blood can make your stomach act up. Hopefully by now, you can eat. Bleeding should just be pink. Drink cool, not cold drinks. Lay low for a bit today. It is normal to have some pain. ginnie:grouphug:

Thanks Ginnie!

I feel much better today... Just a tad sore from my root canal. I did stop taking vicodin and took Motrin instead.

I was wondering, there's only slight bleeding..do I still need to put gauze or just leave it empty?

Also, I think I just have a temp filling for my root canal until the 23rd when the put the permanent crown, will it be ok by then? Idk, I thought I was gonna have a temp crown, but all I have is a temp filling. I'm hoping the soreness is just from the procedure.


Again, thanks for your time Ginnie.. I really appreciate your support :)

Fearfilkid,

Glad to hear the extraction is done and you did well with it.

Do not keep putting a gauze pad over the extraction site today as it could pull the clot out. Just leave it be and the bleeding will subside on it's own. If for some reason the site starts to ooze a lot of blood, then slightly dampen 2 pieces of gauze, fold them together, place them over the site and bite down for 30 minutes.

I am sure the dentist gave you post op instructions... I would suggest that you read them over :)

Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna :)

I feel a lot better today, just a bit sore on the root canal side. The bleeding did stop, so I didnt have to put anymore gauze. however, The extraction site is swollen, but my cheeks aren't. I'm hoping that's normal as well since my procedure was yesterday around 1pm.

Also, I was scared of brushing my teeth, but did so carefully avoiding the teeth next to the extraction site. I also started the warm salt water rinses... 1/4 teaspoon salt in a cup of water.

My main concern now is to not have a bacterial infection or any kind of infection really (I.e ludwigs angina, etc)!so I'm trying to stay really clean. How often do people have post extraction complications? I'm on amoxicillin 3x a day 500 mg each (21 pills total). I should also point out that although I was sedated, I heard the dentist put more shots in because I murmured that I can feel bit of pain and he uttered, "the infection might still be active then". I think this is more so for the root Canal, but it could also be for the one tooth that was extracted. I can't remember..... But this infection, if any will be eradicated with my antibiotic prescription right?


Lastly, my next appointment on the 23rd is when they will finish up the root canal with the permanent crown. My question is, is this safe for the extraction site healing and all? The root canal is #18 the extraction site is #3. Should I schedule a follow up appointment before then, say from today?

Ohh just a thought, when can I start brushing the extraction site? I heard mold can grow in there if it isn't cleaned. Yikes!

Thank you in advance for any insight you might have for me :)

exraction ... bridge/ impant
 

I have finally made the decision to have two teeth extracted- both are root cabal/ crowns. They are both on the bottom, opposite of each other- Second to the last teeth (sorry- don't know correct term for these teeth). The one on the right side is an old, cracked canal that has been absessing (small) for years- no real pain. I drain it and clean it. The other one is a year old, and I know it's bad- not cracked, but causes more pain then the other.
My questions are regarding bridge/ and or implants. I've heard varied opinions as to why I HAVE to get something or else my teeth will shift dramatically. My issue is cost- I cannot afford either- even through a credit arrangement.
Would love some feedback, please!!!

BTW I take really good care of my teeth- too late in the game, but I keep at it.:D

Fearfulkid,

You are worrying way too much about the what if's and the maybe's. The best advice that I can give you is to stop worrying about every tiny detail :)

The extraction site may be swollen for a few days...normal. if you develop a fever or swollen glands... not normal, call the dentist. Most people do fine after an extraction. Most people do not have complications after an extraction so long as they follow the post operative protocol.

It is important to brush and floss ALL of your teeth because a build up of plaque on the teeth near the wound will cause inflammation and possible infection. Get a small child size toothbrush if you have to and just be gentle around the extraction site but DO NOT brush the extraction site itself. I don't know where you read or heard that mold can grow inside of the extraction site... but that is 100% not true. The body makes a blood clot to protect the surgical wound as it is healing. Do nothing to disturb the clot and it will heal fine. Gentle salt water rinses are all that is necessary to clean the wound.

Some other tips...
No smoking or drinking alcohol.. both have negative effects on the oral tissue and can prevent the site from healing.
No mouthwash... too irritating and again will slow down the healing. Just rinse with warm salt water.
Eat a nutritious soft food diet, nothing that requires a lot of chewing, no seeds, nothing too spicy or too hot.

If you are progressing along okay there is no need to see the dentist before your next scheduled appointment.

I hope this information helps.

Bryanna

Hi caroline,

Glad you have made the decision to remove those unhealthy root canaled teeth! Your immune system will thank you :)

Regarding the tooth with the abscess that drains... any long term tooth infection causes the bone to deteriorate. There is a good chance that the bone will not be very healthy or strong enough to hold a dental implant. The bone around the other tooth may be in the same if not very similar condition.

It is best to replace teeth if there is an opposing tooth in the opposite arch that needs a tooth to bite against or the opposing tooth and adjacent teeth can shift out of proper alignment.

Replacement options for you may be...
A permanent 3 unit bridge one on each side replacing the missing teeth.
A removable partial denture which would replace both teeth at one time. This appliance comes out so you can clean it and it is not meant to be worn to sleep.

Discuss replacement with your dentist and see what he can offer you :)

Hope to hear that you have taken care of this soon :)

Bryanna

Ahh I know :( lol I tend to be such a worry wart sometimes.

I'm feeling a lot better today (had the extraction on Tuesday). I have no pain at all. Just a tad sore from the root canal on the other side.

However, I started eating chicken and rice soup and I just realized I can't see my extraction site since its an upper premolar (#3) ... Do you think it's fine that I use salt water rinses to clean it? or can I wet a clean gauze pad to carefully wipe the extraction site? I just wanna make sure that I don't leave any food particles in there, especially if I'm not able to see it.


I just reallyyyy don't wanna get dry socket :( I heard that its less common with upper molar extraction, hoping that's the case with me.

Hi fearful kid
 

Of course you can eat now! Don't wipe the tooth socket. Just salt water gentle rinses, and brush teeth next to site. Not much longer now and you will feel 100%. ginnie:grouphug:

Fearfulkid,

Glad you are feeling well today!

Eat a nutritious soft food diet. No seeds, no rice, nothing crunchy or chewy, and nothing that is small enough to get stuck in the socket. If you eat the way I am suggesting, then you will not have to worry about cleaning the socket. Warm salt water rinses will do that for you. DO NOT touch the socket with anything...no tissue, no gauze, no q tip, no toothbrush, no finger.... nothing. Ok...makes sense? :)

Dry sockets do occur less frequently with upper teeth than with lower teeth due to gravity. The blood is able to flow better and clot easier in an upper socket than in a lower one.

Stick with the right diet and that area should be fine.

Bryanna

Bryanna,

Thank you for clarifying things for me... I'm like a child in a way that I almost always need some sort of reassurance :/ lol

I believe that I'm healing just fine. No pain just very very mild soreness, mainly from the injection sites... Barely even noticeable :) I take my antibiotics every 8 hours (3x a day), brush my teeth morning and night, and do warm salt water rinses 3-4 times a day. However, I have a few questions though (as always lol)


1. My root canal is still incomplete. I don't have sensitivity (hot/cold) on that tooth anymore, but it's sore when I bite down on that tooth. It only has a filling, no temp crown. Is this normal? Also, that tooth was infected and I read that it might be more sore and may require longer healing time because of it. My next root canal appointment is on the 23rd.


2. My upper extraction has a dark red/purple scab like thing with a white coating, which I think is how it's suppose to look 4 days post-op. I am also on a 7-day amoxicillin antibiotic (i had an infection before and apparently during the extraction). My concern is I started a minor cough today (slight cough maybe 20x a day or so) is this because I'm on antibiotics and my immune system is a bit weaker, or is this indicative of a systemic infection? I feel fine though, no swelling, fever, pain, etc. just a slight cough. I just get scared because I heard of deaths a few days after infected tooth extraction even with antibiotics and it freaks me out :( ,.... I'm hoping this is just a minor cough because my sisters were slightly sick a few days ago, maybe I caught it from them.

3. Antibiotics after an infected tooth extraction should eliminate the remainder of the infection right? So it prevents it from becoming systemic?


Thank you again in advance. I tend to over analyze things and would love to hear some positive reassurance from someone who knows their stuff :)

Hi fearfulkid,

I will repost your questions and answer in bold type.

<<<1. My root canal is still incomplete. I don't have sensitivity (hot/cold) on that tooth anymore, but it's sore when I bite down on that tooth. It only has a filling, no temp crown. Is this normal? Also, that tooth was infected and I read that it might be more sore and may require longer healing time because of it. My next root canal appointment is on the 23rd.>>>

I HAVE DELIBERATELY BEEN AVOIDING THE TOPIC OF YOUR ROOT CANALED TOOTH BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO UPSET YOU. BUT THERE IS NO EASY WAY TO TELL YOU THAT YOUR ROOT CANALED TOOTH WILL NEVER BE HEALTHY AGAIN. IRRELEVANT OF WHETHER THE SORENESS SUBSIDES OR NOT THE TOOTH WILL STILL BE INFECTED. RATHER THAN GO INTO A BIG EXPLANATION HERE... GO BACK TO THE DENTAL FORUM HOME PAGE AND AT THE TOP NEXT TO "STICKY" CLICK ON "USEFUL WEBSITES AND REFERENCES". SCROLL DOWN THAT PAGE TO THE 6TH ENTRY AND CLICK ON THE LINK THAT I PROVIDED THERE. THIS WILL OFFER YOU DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT ROOT CANALED TEETH. HOWEVER, I AM WARNING YOU THAT IT PROVIDES SOME VERY STRAIGHT FORWARD INFORMATION THAT MOST DENTISTS NEVER TELL THEIR PATIENTS. SO DON'T PANIC AFTER YOU READ IT.

<<<2. My upper extraction has a dark red/purple scab like thing with a white coating, which I think is how it's suppose to look 4 days post-op. I am also on a 7-day amoxicillin antibiotic (i had an infection before and apparently during the extraction).>>>

THAT RED AREA INSIDE OF THE SOCKET IS THE CLOT... JUST LEAVE IT ALONE. THE WHITE COATING COULD BE PLAQUE OR JUST SOME TISSUE THAT HAS SLOUGHED OFF. JUST KEEP RINSING WITH THE WARM SALT WATER.

<<< My concern is I started a minor cough today (slight cough maybe 20x a day or so) is this because I'm on antibiotics and my immune system is a bit weaker, or is this indicative of a systemic infection? I feel fine though, no swelling, fever, pain, etc. just a slight cough>>>

ANTIBIOTICS DO COMPROMISE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY DISTURB THE PRODUCTION OF GOOD BACTERIA IN THE INTESTINES. ALSO THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE HERE CAN DIAGNOSE IF YOU HAVE A SYSTEMIC INFECTION OR NOT.

<<<I just get scared because I heard of deaths a few days after infected tooth extraction even with antibiotics and it freaks me out :( ,.... I'm hoping this is just a minor cough because my sisters were slightly sick a few days ago, maybe I caught it from them. >>>

I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU READ THAT. THE CHANCES OF THAT OCCURRING ARE VERY SLIM AND I BELIEVE THAT WOULD BASICALLY OCCUR IN SOMEONE WHOSE HEALTH WAS ALREADY VERY COMPROMISED.

<<<3. Antibiotics after an infected tooth extraction should eliminate the remainder of the infection right? So it prevents it from becoming systemic?>>>

THAT IS THE GOAL OF TAKING THE ANTIBIOTIC. HOWEVER SOMETIMES THE INFECTION IS STILL PRESENT AFTER THE MEDS ARE DONE. IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE INDIVIDUAL CASE. IF THE SITE IS HEALING WELL AND YOU ARE FEELING WELL THEN HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE JUST FINE. IT TAKES TIME TO HEAL FROM ORAL SURGERY.

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,

Thanks for sharing that link and information... I guess, I'll hope for the best regarding my root canal. I already have 2 from 8 years ago :/

I have a few more questions regarding my extraction, if that's ok... :) I think, in my opinion, it's healing fairly well. Today is the end of the 9th day since my extraction and the socket is dark purple. Before it looked just like a blob between the socket and the gum, but now there's a definitive hole. The socket looks almost like a perfect circle. I can distinguish the socket from the gum. The hole itself looks a bit smaller, but somewhat still deep. I'm not too sure if that's a good thing. Also, I hadn't realized the dangers of oroantral communication fistula when it comes to upper extractions. Naturally for me, I'm freaking out. The tooth that was extracted was #3 (originally #2, but my wisdom tooth came out a few years ago).

Earlier today, I felt this weird feeling in my nose on the same side as the extraction, felt like I inhaled some powder or some sort and it trickled down my throat.. and as soon as that happened I felt a scratchy throat. I drank water ASAP and it went away juSt as quickly. I'm wondering if this is something of a concern. Also, on the the 3rd or 4th day after my extraction, I noticed a salty taste near the socket... And that too went away.

This afternoon, I noticed the socket was filled with white stuff, like I couldn't see the purple clot. After I ate, I rinsed with salt water and the white stuff was gone, I could now see the purple clot again. Weird. Other than this, I have no pain or fever whatsoever and we all know that I followed the after care thoroughly (I even slept with my head elevated for the first five days and I'm still rinsing with warm salt water after every meal:))

I have an appointment with my dentist on Monday for the root canal crown, I'll ask him about it but I just wanted some info before then to possibly ease my worries. Also, can the dentist tell of there is any problems with the sinuses (hole, cavity, etc) after he extracted it, with/without the x ray? In addition, I figured if the upper molar extraction was close to the sinuses, I would've been informed. Especially since my dentist is very kind and caring (even called me on the 6th day to make sure I was ok)

Maybe I'm just freaking out over nothing again (hopefully). I really need to stay away from the internet *sigh*

Thanks again,

FearfulKid

Hi Bryanna,
It's me again.
I was wondering if you could please view my panoramic x ray? It's not the best copy, but I'm hoping it'll be good enough.

Is my extraction #3 near the sinuses? I'm hoping it's not something to fret about even if it might be, but you know me lol
Thank you so much :)