A dental question please not very nice pic included sorry

[Lostmyemailaddress]

I'm sorry for any bad spelling or grammar but I'm using my phone and I am in a lot of pain.

I have a problem I had a full dental clearance last Friday under a general but was released same day. I have been in agony since and I am still having trouble eating. I have stitches top and bottom.

Tuesday the pain was becoming too much so I contacted my dentist for an emergency appointment as was told I had a really bad infection in all my gums. I haven't smoked since the day before my operation and kept away from smokey environments as well as followed all the aftercare advice they gave although salt water I am finding difficult as the pain from it makes me want to pass out.

I have an appointment on Monday for dentist to check the infection but as swelling has gone down there is a sharp bit in my mouth along my jaw n when I have looked it looks like my gum has separated from the bone. I have tried to take the best pic I could to try and show why I say jaw bone.

Is this normal after a dental clearance and how long will it take to heal and how do I ease the pain please. I have hardly slept or eaten much since the operation and am only managing baby food and mash.

[RubyChewsDay]

I think its called dry socket. They say not to rinse for 12 hours after etc.

Can you ring the emergency dentist in the morning?

[Lostmyemailaddress]

I will try and get an appointment in the morning. Would dry socket cause my gum to split?

[toastandbutterandjam]

Dry socket is where the blood clot dislodges after an extraction and leaves everything exposed. I've not had it, but have heard it's very painful. The dentist will pack it etc until things heal (I think),
Dry socket itself wouldn't cause the gum to split but it might make it look like it's split (if that makes any sense).

With dry socket, you will only get relief when it is packed by a dentist - painkillers don't touch the pain apparently!

I'm only telling you what i've been told though. I've got an extraction for orthodontic purposes on Tuesday!

I really hope you get it sorted as soon as possible. Mouth pain is awful

[Imnotaslimjim]

Looks like dry socket, you poor thing!!

Its absolute agony (though I'm sure you don't need to be told that!)

Until you can get to a dentist, can you tolerate wet cotton wool? Soak a small piece in warm salt solution from boiled water and place in the hole. That will stop the air getting to the bone and ease things a little

[Mrsmorton]

It looks "within normal limits" to me although photo isn't great and obviously all of the caveats that go with Internet diagnoses.

sadly, smoking has quite a long term effect so although you've done exceptionally well since, some damage will have been done before hand. The sharp bit is likely to be a bone fragment?
Can you say more about why you had a clearance? Was it gum disease or decay? In my experience, gum disease always changes the way healing goes, I think it's because there's more chronic infection and slightly different tissues in the gum.

Don't be concerned by the white appearance. Whilst it could be the bone, the healing sockets usually look white for a bit as well.

Try to get seen tomorrow, don't stress yourself. It will be fine.

[Badders123]

I had an upper molar extracted last week.
(Long boring story failed filling then failed root canal )
My gum went white/grey too...I assumed that was normal healing?
Also oozed blood for a few days afterwards
Sadly I my tooth had 2 abcesses which i don't think has helped
It's only now after nearly 2 weeks that I'm not taking regular pain relief
If it is dry socket (had it many years ago) you need the dentist to pack it

[Lostmyemailaddress]

Hi everyone thank you for replies sorry I haven't replied sooner.

I couldn't get into ooh dentist on Sunday so had to wait for my own dentist yesterday when they saw me I was told to ring the hospital as I needed iv antibiotics.

I rang and hospital told me to go down I do have dry socket plus I had bone fragments lodged into my gum some have been removed and old stitches have been replaced with packing and new stitches and a very numbed mouth. My jaw bone was showing but that has also been stitched up and it looks like I will need a further operation in future to smooth my jaw bone to prevent any further problems but will find out next month when I see the consultant again.

I won't lie it hurt so much I was sobbing on the Dr but the relief last night I managed some sleep it still wasn't a full night but I'm definitely on the right track.

I had a problem with my roots dying and the rotting and rotting my tooth from inside out and each pregnancy I have had has weakened tooth sooner.

I still haven't smoked which is 1 good thing and pain has subsided a little bit I've been warned it will take a while to be totally pain free but pain isn't as bad today so I'm more then happy with that.

[RubyChewsDay]

Oh wow OP, you have really been through it. Im glad your are at least a bit pain free now

[gingeroots]

Aaah ,you poor thing .