Dental Chronicles

[Mrsmorton]

I have noticed a number all of the dental related questions on MN get repeated once a month or so; this may be entirely unwelcome but what I intend to do is to make a series of detailed posts answering the most common questions so that I can signpost posters to an answer. Often they disappear in chat and then resurface.

I am a dentist (that's no secret on here) but I have no way of proving my qualifications and neither do I feel the need to. I hope that this will be of some assistance to someone at some point!!

Don't know if any dentist can help - my parents never took me too the dentist. I took myself at 18 to be told I had shocking teeth and the dentist really hurt me, I didn't hurry back...

I've been better since finding a lovely dentist some five years ago but am now in a situation with better dental hygiene but only eight teeth, central top and bottom, left.

Dentist has recommended dentures as implants would be ridiculous in price. Is there any difference in NHS/Private dentures? Will it hurt to eat in them? What to do if it does? Best solution to keep them in place? Thanks if you can help...

Hi, great thread thank you for taking the time to do this.

I had to have a large molar removed last year. The plan was originally for a bridge to be put in place between the remaining last tooth on the bottom row and the small molar that is adjacent to the main bottom front teeth. My dentist has advised me that the end molar is of a difficult shape and that a bridge cannot be put in place after all. He is suggesting either an implant or a denture. I am loath to have a denture I can't bear the thought of it. What is your view? Is a rear tooth implant worth doing? As things stand at the moment I hate the feel of my mouth with this huge gap and then just one molar on its own right at the back. An implant is such a amount of money but equally I just am miserable about the thought of a denture. Thanks in advance.

Mrs Morton, I'm in a dental panic and this thread came up when I searched. Can I add a question?

I had my lower right wisdom tooth removed on Thursday under general at a local hospital. It was very impacted, had a cyst around it and the roots were close to the nerves. I came home with paracetamol and ibuprofen which didn't touch the pain. On Saturday NHS 24 sent me to A&E as the swelling was tracking down my throat and the pain was off the chart. I was given Coodamol and sent to see an emergency dentist.

The dentist couldn't see much as I could only open my mouth a tiny amount but could see the stitches had held/ socket not dry. I was given antibiotics and told to rest.

I think my jaw is opening slightly more now but I'm really worried about it. Talking is my job and I'm panicking this won't resolve itself. Can you advise anything I can do to aid healing? The pain is still bad in my jaw and I'm depending on the painkillers to manage to get through the day.

Hello, @mrsmorton - I have read through this whole thread and think you are fab for all your great advice. I am looking for a bit of reassurance if you'd be kind enough to help.

I had a lower molar extracted on Friday at 10.30am. It is SORE. The socket looks a bit white and yucky to me, but I keep getting my partner to check and see if the clot's still in, and he says it's fine. The extraction was pretty quick, according to the dentist, but the tooth came out in bits and I found it quite distressing. (The tooth had been heavily filled for years, the filling cracked back in April, was restored, got an infection, got root canal, dentist could only find two canals, never settled, now gone.) Is this dry socket? Or is it normal to still be hurting? I am rinsing with warm salted water as of Saturday morning, and this evening have been adding a few drops of clove oil.

I am now missing both molars on that side (I still have the wisdom tooth) and one on the other side. I am a nervous patient and phobic about needles, so don't feel like I am a good candidate for implants - would a partial denture help? I asked the dentist about having my remaining lower teeth extracted and a denture, but she said my front teeth are good and strong (no fillings) and that would not be a good idea. I am 44, and have been clenching my teeth at night due to stress - partner made redundant - which is what caused the cracked filling but have now been fitted with a bite guard thing for sleeping in to try and help minimise damage. Upper teeth all present and correct bar the left wisdom tooth.

So sorry for such an essay. Any advice would be very much appreciated. (If the extraction sounds like dry socket I know I can see someone from my surgery tomorrow but obviously don't want to bother anyone on a Sunday.)

Hi Mrs M thank you for such a great thread I look forward to reading it all, I know you said you didn't like gums but I found the sections on gum disease really helpful. I suffered from chronic periodontal disease all my adult life and recently had a course of laser treatment on my gums which has been amazing and for the first time in my life all of my gums are under 3 m pockets and within normal range. Just wondered if I had any thoughts on laser treatments? Such a shame you can't get the treatment I had on the NHS. Thanks again