Has anyone had a gingivectomy? (gum removal?) Or any dentists around? Can you come and talk to me please?

[CoupleofKooks]

I had this procedure last Tues in an attempt to sort out my wisdome tooth which sometimes gets an infection around it. I thought it was going to be really simple, just removing the flap of gum that obscures the tooth partially, but it took about 50 mins to remove all the parts that she felt were contributing to the infections - she said the pockets were very deep

She warned me it would be very painful afterwards, tender, swollen etc. When the anaesthetic wore off it was a bit sore, but the next day it was not very painful at all, and not swollen.

However on the Thurs, it swelled up and started to become very sore, since then it has got more painful every day, and today i feel the ache down in my jaw that i used to get when the infection was present, plus the rank taste and bad breath I used to get with infection. Looking at it, it looks like some of the stitches have come apart It looks odd tbh, I can't work out what's going on

I am due to go back on Tuesday to have stitches removed. I know it might be impossible without looking at it, but has anyone any idea
a) what has gone wrong
b) whether I should do anything before Tuesday
and
c) what they will do to put it right?

it's been several weeks now of pain (i had an infection which was what prompted the gingivectomty) and i am getting fed up of it. I can't eat or sleep properly and don't want to drag the dses to yet another difficult appointment (they sat through the 50 min appointment as i was led to believe it would be fast, and easy )

sorry it is revolting topic but any help appreciated

Sorry, but I think you should call NHS direct. It doesn't sound too healthy.

i don't think NHS direct will help with dental stuff but thank you for replying

i don't think i need any emergency treatment, but it's a nuisance waiting until Tuesday

It sounds like you have an infection and need antibiotic treatment asap. Unless your dentist gave you an emetency number to ring, you ought to call your OOH GP service.

there is an emergency number i could ring - but i mean previous to this i had an infection for about 3 weeks - i just dealt with it with salty water rinses and painkillers - is there a reason NOT to wait till tuesday - i mean it isn't dangerous is it?

nhs do help with dental - ring them

I've had several apicectomy(ies) and can appreciate what you are going through

NHS direct will tell you if you have a dental emergency, and dental emergencies can be medical emergencies, IYSWIM.

The reason it is so serious is that the gums are an excellent route to the blood stream. It's why advice is given to rub jam on an unconscious diabetic's gums, for example. Any infection there could be very serious.

Also, the stitches could prevent the release of any puss. Alternatively, the infected tissue could tear through the stitching, causing trauma to the gum.

20 y ago I had my wisdom teeth out in mid-December. It was done on my dad's PHI, and the consultant gave me his secretary's home number in case I had any problems over the holiday season. I developed an infection on New Years Eve, phoned the secretary, consultant called me back and arranged for a prescription for antibiotics to be waiting for me at the nearest 24h chemist. He took infection at the site of a dental operation very seriously.

Apparently the infection can spread to the blood stream or bones very easily, and cause very bad complications.

Please call the number. Waiting until Tuesday is not worth the risk.

bollocks

thank you

how about a compromise
i keep a close eye on it today, then if nothing gets worse, call my usual dentist in the morning and see her on an emergency appointment tomorrow

it seems stable atm and i am not feeling unwell, just tired and pissed off with it

sorry if this seems unco-operative btw, to ask for advice then not entirely follow it, but it would be very awkward / disruptive to see an emergency dentist today!

I think you need antibiotics ,the quicker you get them the better .
Appreciate pia waiting for doc etc ,but you may well be creating a situation where you really will be in trouble ,not just inconvienced .
Don't be daft ,phone out of hours doc .

I echo the other posters, ring NHS direct, someone my dad was working with had toothache, rang nhs direct was seen and given antibiotics, the next day he collapsed as infection had become systemic! He was ok thought, sorry but think you are being silly not to phone them today.

Yuk. Would you wait around like this if you'd had an abdominal operation that became infected???? I would have thought an infection post-procedure could get nasty far more quickly than an infection as a result of a food trap around your wisdom tooth. Why wait until the infection has spread? You are risking nullifying the benefits of the operation and having to go back for more surgery at a later date, not to mention ending up with a more serious, widespread infection than you already have. It is obviously wrong that your gum has become more and more swollen - by Tuesday, it should be recovered enough for someone to yank the stitches out of it...

I'm a dentist.

I think it's highly unlikely you'll get a systemic infection from a gingivectomy, but you are describing the symptoms of an infection. Your dentist will have an emergency number on their answerphone and I would advise you to ring it for proper advice.

Good oral hygiene, hot salt water mouthwashes (what you've been doing) will help. Ibuprofen is the best thing for the pain if you can take it, ie no stomach problems/asthma.

thanks willaby and others
i am finding ibuprofen very helpful
i will phone
i have no transport today, this is one reason i am stalling
the emergency dentist is not going to be near here, i am betting

oh btw i did ring the dentist on thursday, and was told it was normal, come back on tuesday

You will probably still be able to get advice over the phone.

that's great, thanks, i shall go and try now

Not as disruptive as getting bacteria in your blood.

From a dental nurse of 15 yrs, dentist, ASAP!

Honestly, there is so much bacteria in your mouth & it is impossible to keep it clean, no matter what you do...you still have to eat/drink = bacteria.

have been rung back by NHS people and the nurse thought that waiting another 24 hours to see my own dentist would be ok
thanks all for advice, i see now i should really have just rung them in the first place, so thanks for reminder to do so

willaby and differentname (or anyone else), if you have time - what is the best way to keep the area clean then? i have been advised no hot drinks for a week after the gingivectomy, so have been rinsing with cold salt water, is that effective? and also using oraldene mouthwash 3 times a day
anything else i could be doing?

I always advise hot salt water, but don't carry out gingivectomies so go with what your own dentist has advised.

Corsodyl mouthwash is good, not sure what's in oraldene, if it has chlorhexidine it's the same thing.

I think you're doing all the right things. Good brushing is important around the rest of your mouth, carefully around the healing area.

thank you
oraldene has hexitidine in

i've had a good look at it and i think the area around the stitches is looking ok

the puffy part is kind of above the back teeth, on the back wall of my mouth - i think the infection's gone up there and is building up in the soft tissue a bit
i presume she will lance that and then give me antibiotics
i am hoping the stitches are doing ok, they don't look bad

How about warm salty water mouthwash? Wouldn't it work a bit better if it's a similar temperature to the one inside your mouth, rather than cold? And then you're not going against advice to avoid anything hot... Hopefully that would reduce some of the inflammation, along with the ibuprofen. And keep very well hydrated - might help you produce plenty of saliva to wash away the bugs!!!!

ps as a matter of interest, why couldn't you just have had your wisdom tooth removed?