Dental advice needed! Food stuck in extraction site (boak!)

[Swearlikemalcolmtucker]

Had a tooth out a week ago and got a cracking great extraction crater as it was a front molar.
Healing well I think, to my non dental expert eyes, but I keep getting food stuck in the dip. So far it’s all come out with salt water rinses but the last couple of days a lovely assortment appears to be properly wedged in and won’t come out.
I don’t want to go poking or prodding (dentist explicitly said to leave it alone or I might dislodge things that shouldn’t be dislodged!) but it’s driving me mad and giving me an unpleasant taste in my mouth now. I knew I’d regret eating a burrito. Rotting mince in one’s mouth is not the one.

Any advice? I’ve not been swishing as you would normally with a mouth wash or rinse, again so I don’t dislodge things, more sort of holding it in my mouth and moving my head around to slop it about a bit. Wasn’t sure when I can start being a bit more vigorous and/or brushing the site.

Couldn’t get through to my dentist yesterday, will try again today when they open at 9 but thought I’d ask in the mean time as I feel utterly rank!

Also wasn’t sure if this could cause an infection, although I’m already on AB’s, or hold up the healing in any way?

Just need to see a dentist really, that's all!
Infection less likely while on abx

I was thinking that would be the case. And hoping not as I have a bit of a phobia of the dentist! Although compared to having the actual tooth out I suppose getting it cleaned up won’t be as bad.

I think I’ve got most of it out. How you tell properly no idea as it all looks like one lovely grim hotpot in there

Get a water flosser! Will rinse it right out.

@JorisBonson

Get a water flosser! Will rinse it right out.

Don’t do that on an extraction site. It’s far too high a pressure. You might dislodge the scab and leave nerves exposed.

@ThePricklySheep eurgh what fresh hell. I was wondering about using DS’s cal pop syringe thingy to try and clean it but maybe not

Just leave it. It will come put or be broken down y saliva. I had a piece of ham stuck in mine for a couple of days that drove me crazy but it just went.

It can drive you crackers though.

Thanks it IS driving me crackers because I know it’s there and it’s making my breath smell unpleasant but hey ho, better than the crippling pain I was in before!
Thanks for the advice and help.

Gif it’s been a week since extraction you should be ok to flush gently with a syringe.

Flush it gently with a syringe as a PP said

You dont need to see the dentist. Its been a week it will be fine to do this yourself

I tried flushing it gently but it seems really wedged, I guess because there’s a few meals worth in there now

I’ll keep rinsing, give it another flush tomorrow and hope it doesn’t cause any problems with healing.

If there’s still a build up in there on Monday I’ll phone the dentist as surely that can’t be good for it?

I’m seven days since extraction so don’t want to poke around or flush too much/rinse too vigorously incase I dislodge what’s underneath - living in fear of the dreaded dry socket!

This thread has appeared on my feed at exactly the right time, OP I need some advice from you please.... I had an extraction yesterday afternoon and it's bloody painful today, not quite as painful as when the tooth was there but how did you feel the next day? I'm panicking about dry socket but NHS does say it takes 3-5 days for that to happen.

@bumpdownthestairs oh poor you
It was still painful the day after but nowhere near as bad as the day of, or the toothache before. I was taking paracetamol combined with codeine as often as allowed for the first three days though. Which tooth did you have out? Was it a difficult extraction?

I’m really hating having all the food stuck in it. But too scared to try and lift it out incase everything comes with it! I’m hoping the body will just break it down and it won’t affect the healing process. I can’t tell how well it’s healing because I can’t see the bugger under the delicious soupçon of stuck debris

It was still painful enough the day after that if I left it too long between painkillers I knew about it!

Thank you! Thank god you were the same (for me anyway 😂) , I'm alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen. I used to take codiene for a back injury but last time I took it it made me sick, mind it was out of date 😬🙈 it was an upper one, 4th from the back. Don't know the technical term lol! It wasn't difficult but I had an absess underneath it. I hope you manage to clear yours soon at it heals well!

Odd thought, could you use one of those bogey suckers for babies?

When I had my wisdom teeth out I used the interdental head of my toothbrush on it's own to sort of slightly prod the food and move it. Looked in the mirror whilst doing it and was very gentle but got it out.

Lots of salt water washes.

Thanks for the advice, I’m going to leave it another day or two before gently trying to remove it. I’ll keep rinsing. After ten days apparently I can rinse a lot more vigorously so hopefully that will help.

@bumpdownthestairs
By the second day I felt a lot better pain wise but still took the painkillers for three days (codeine) and then switched to paracetamol and ibuprofen for a few days

If you can see the food with a torch and mirror you could try to remove with tweezers/a blunt cocktail stick/syringe.

Maybe reconsider what you're eating for the next week or so

I’ve been quite careful and only eaten soft food but everything gets stuck even though I’m eating on one side. I think it’s because it was the most front molar if that makes sense. I’ll rinse tonight and try flushing again tomorrow and if I get no joy I’ll ring the dentist for advice after the weekend.

The thing that makes me nervous about trying to remove it is it looks quite embedded.

I just read something that says food will eventually get pushed out or reabsorbed so even though it’s unpleasant hopefully it won’t do any harm which was my main worry

I'd be picking it out with some blunt tweezers then a good salt wash. But then I'm pretty keen on prodding and poking. Midwife had a fit that I'd taken a couple of stitches out ......they were really pulling.

@MrsT1405 okay stitches?! You took stitches out?

I think because dentist is now closed for a few days I won’t go prodding and poking too much but I’ll give it a good go when they’re open again on Monday so if I do any damage I can go in.

I’m hoping it will all be gone by then!

Hi @Swearlikemalcolmtucker
Just wondering what the outcome of this was for you? Did you manage to dislodge it or was it a trip to the dentist? 🦷 I’m 3 days post tooth extraction and frustratingly appear to have food in the site!
Thanks!
Sx