I'm only 30 - I want to save my teeth!

Hello members at DFC!
My name is Tati and I'm almost 30 years old (less than a month to go)! I'm so happy to have found a site to discuss dental concerns and how to deal with them. I'm also hoping to get some guidance on how members care for their mouth's health- although I have received good information from my dentist (I'm really proud to say that I do have a dentist).

My past...
As a child, my parents didn't keep on top of me when it came to brushing my teeth. When they did make me or when I did do it on my own, I noticed a lot of pain after brushing. I know that I brush too hard (trying to work on that ), but I also have always had painful, itchy gums and teeth after brushing. Parents never taught me to floss either, so I kind of never picked up on doing that. My Dad hasn't seen a dentist in decades and my Mom comes and goes to the dentist when needed. I would only go to the dentist when I brought up a concern to my Mom and I remember the very first time going (I was in second grade) I cried the whole time, for no reason- the dentist was really nice and knew my parents and he was just going to look at my teeth. Nope nope nope Since caring for my teeth hurt me, I just never picked up good habits.

I moved out of my parents house once I graduated college, but just before then I went to the dentist a few times to get a ton of fillings (I think I have more fillings than teeth when it comes to my molars) and 2 root canals/crowns (this is before I was 22-years-old). So I'm not a newbie to dental procedures.

Eventually I figured out that the pain I was having from brushing was caused to an allergy to sodium laureth ingredients in MOST tooth pastes. I'm not sure if there's a test they can do to confirm it, but all I know is when I don't use a tooth paste with that ingredient I'm great - no pain in my teeth or gums. There are just a few types of tooth paste I can buy in the store without this ingredient, but I'm happy to have that problem solved. But not having good habits in place, I just didn't worry about my teeth.

My Current Situation...
Last Friday, my back lower left molar broke and I had to deal with the filling scrapping my tongue for a few days. Once I had realized it had broken - and I knew I couldn't get out of going to the dentist- I went to my husband (we've been married for three and half years - been together for 9 years) and broke down crying. He had no clue how much I hated going to the dentist (nothing against nice dentists though).

I spent most of Friday night into Saturday morning researching my dental insurance (barely anything - just $1000 a year), finding a dentist (I found one in my network literally down the street- I can walk there in 10 minutes), and contacting them about getting an appointment. The place allows you to email them if they are closed, so I did that Saturday morning (if I put something off I'm never going to do it), thinking they would not get back to me. They called me a few hours later and I had an appointment set up for Monday! (Gotta make the appointment ASAP or I'll never do it ) But I spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday being stressed out and upset - and in pain since my tooth was cutting into my tongue (I bought some ortho wax to place over it which helped as long as I wasn't talking or eating).

My First Time back in 8+ Years...
I prayed, I sent out a prayer request to my family and friends, I constantly talked to hubby about my fears- that's how I spent my time preparing for my first appointment back to the dentist. I couldn't be treated that first time: they use that time to take x-rays, fill out paper-work, come up with a care plan, and get information on my insurance set-up. Everybody was so sweet and nice, ZERO lectures (thank God), and they had no issues with my husband being with me the whole time (thankfully he was able to leave work early to be with me - I just really wanted him there for the care plan and how much $$$ we are going to be dropping). Dentist was talking to me about the care plan and my eyes fell on the total amount: $11,455. That's about 20% of my annual salary.

I started to freak out a bit after that (the dentist left the room for a few minutes to check my insurance out) and thankfully my husband just grabbed my hand and told me we'll do what we can when we can. Dentist came in to check on me and asked if I was okay- he was totally supportive of me doing a little bit at a time and understood how I couldn't afford to do all of this at once. We went through what I had to get done this year to help save my teeth/mouth and the rest he said we'll tackle over the next 2 years or so. After setting up some appointments, he shook my hand and told me "You know we only want to help you" in this sweet voice and I told him I appreciated it (I have nothing against good dentists who are understanding- it's just not a place I like to go).

I'm going to post this now and I will pick up with my adventures since then...

So how does one wrack up $11,000+ worth of dental work?

First off, I don't have great dental insurance - it's a max of $1000 a year, so I'm stuck spreading out my dental work over a few years. Thankfully both me and my husband work and we're skilled enough to know how to cook, clean, and fix a lot of things ourselves.

(My dentist did remind me about Care Credit- we already have one account for my cats. Apparently I have good enough credit that Care Credit is willing to cover the full cost of my dental care. But I'm only using it for emergencies - right now I've been able to pay everything in cash.)

Here's what my care plan has included:
- Deep cleaning of all 4 quadrants
- 4 Root canals (will put my total up to 6)
- Flap Surgery on my lower and upper left side
- 4 Crowns
- 2 fillings
- 2 periodontal cleanings (after my deep cleaning)

For 2015, my dentist wants me to tackle these parts of my care plan:
- Deep cleaning of all 4 quadrants
- 1 Root canal, 1 Crown with posts, etc
- Flap surgery on my left side
- 2 periodontal cleanings (after my deep cleaning - one every 3 months to test the pockets)Still really scary, but much better than the $11k+ I have to pay up eventually.

Second Visit...
X-rays/care plan took place this past Monday and I let my dentist know that I'm off all week for spring break (I'm a teacher) so I would love to get started this week and he agreed.

Tuesday morning I was back into the chair I had my left-side of my mouth deep cleaned and they put a temp crown on my broken molar (still can't eat off of it because of how sensitive the back of the tooth is- I know it's like that because I need a root canal to fix the problem).

Worst part: the needle in my bottom jaw. The dentist working on me clearly was a great one and she was super sweet. She stuck me 6 times in my upper jaw to numb it up - no issues. But whatever she did to my bottom jaw I wanted to cry and smack her She went in pretty deep (she warned me) and she hit a few nerves. Deep needles do not freak me out (I've donated blood before - I can handle it), but when you start hitting nerves and they are shooting down pain my jaw, I don't like you very much. It was literally one minute of bad pain, so I won't poo poo the whole experience. I don't like drilling noises much, but the spraying water was more annoying than the drilling noises.

I'm wondering if my dentist wrote a note about how anxious I get because she (this person was different from my dentist) kept asking me if I was okay, just raise my hand if I had any pain. I'd like to think I'm a good patient while they're working on me- I try to keep my mouth open as big as possible; I don't wiggle my tongue much; I will happily tilt my head however you need it; and if you tell me to take meds or do something I will do it (I've brushed 2+ times a day, used my prescription mouth wash as I've been told to do (I even picked it up a few hours after leaving the dentist), and I've been flossing at least once a day since Monday). I normally won't complain of any pain unless it's pretty bad- like I know I won't be able to tolerate it for very long.

About an hour and half later, I had half of my mouth cleaned and a temp crown on. I have applaud the dentist for having a perfect fit on the crown. Normally I'm just told to deal with it for a few days and I'll get use to it. She did a great job of getting the bit down perfectly- that's never happened to me before, so there was no "getting use to" the new tooth this time.

Third Visit...
Was today! I'm actually still all numb from the procedure. It took place at 2:45 pm and I realize how much I hate afternoon appointments. I'd rather wake up, drink a cup of coffee, get ready, and go get it over with. Good thing about worrying all day- I clean when I'm stressed, so my kitchen looks a lot nicer now.

New dentist to do the right side of my mouth for the deep cleaning. Friendly/nice, we were talking so much she started numbing up my left side until I reminded her she needed to do my right side (happens- I'm not bothered by it). She seemed a little surprised that I wanted to be numbed up though I researched deep cleaning before Tuesday and the dentist offered it right away to me, so I thought that was the norm. She told me I could also just have my gums topically numbed. As bad as the needle was, I didn't want to risk being in pain so I asked her to numb me up- she had to get another dentist to come and do it for me (I guess maybe she doesn't do it).

New dentist was really fast when it came to putting the needle in me- I didn't really like how she did it: she made me sit up (I prefer laying down), she did wiggling my cheek like doing it (like the other dentist did - I wonder if this is a new way to do it, as they never did that when I was a kid/teen. It helps a lot!), she did hit one nerve in my bottom jaw but she moved so quickly that it only lasted like 5 seconds, and I wasn't crazy that she put the needle so forward in my upper jaw (I don't like needles near my front teeth). Apparently the method worked because I numbed up a lot faster this time than on Tuesday. (Odd thing- my tongue is a lot more numb this time than before. I keep biting it on accident- nothing bad but just an odd sensation)

Procedure went fine, no issues, and she actually flossed that side to check to make sure it would be smooth for me- the other person did not do this to my left side. She (dentist on Tuesday) said I was probably going to have some difficulty with flossing because of it being rough in between my teeth. Okay? Thanks? Apparently she could have done something to test this out like today's dentist did. She flossed and would then scrape if there was any difficulty. Told me to hold off on using any mouth wash today (I get such a dry mouth at the dentist they can easily tell I use Listerine - I'm going to stop using that actually). And I did such a great job she even gave me a tooth brush. Aww

So I'm done for now... I have 2 more appointments planned.

April 2nd (I'm off from school for Holy Thursday)- I'm getting a root canal done in that broken tooth and will probably have another appointment to get the permanent crown put on.

June 23rd (I'm off for summer vacation by then)- I have my 3 month check up for periodontal maintenance to test out if my teeth pockets are healing and to do a teeth cleaning (I think).

So that's where I am so far... off to a good start, I like everyone who has worked on my mouth, and I haven't had too much pain. I tend to rush the healing part: I was already trying to eat solid food the evening after my first deep clean, which was okay although I was super stiff on that side the next morning. My husband has supplied me with various soft foods, so I won't be repeating that method again.

Looking to the future, I'm pretty freaked out about the flap surgery. I haven't really researched much about it, although I know the goal is to get the gums back up to the correct height on the tooth. Maybe it's just the word "surgery" that is freaking me out - I need to do some actual research to learn more about it and what it is like to go through it before I can really decide if it's something to worry about. I'm also freaked out about the price- my insurance gets me a discount, but it is going to cost me $1694 to do (out of pocket since my insurance is used up). I think I'll have to use the Care Credit for that and just pay it off as I can. I'm hoping I can do that over the summer to allow plenty of resting time- didn't talk to the dentist yet about when that has to be scheduled, he just said he recommends that I get it done this year.

If you've come across my journal and have had that procedure done, please share what it was like. The good, the bad, and what was it like during the healing process?

Flap Surgery....
Been reading through this site and came across this old post about a person going through flap surgery. I just wanted to copy and paste it into here so I don't lose it:

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Would just like to send a word of encouragement to anyone on this thread who is about to, or has recently, experienced gum flap surgery. Thought it would be interesting for you to know what the future results can be if you follow your periodontist and/or dentists instructions for aftercare. I was on this board 3 years ago scared to death of the surgery, came through it with flying colors, and yes, there was some pain to deal with after the surgery, but nothing that couldn't be dealt with that's for sure! I still make sure 3 years later to follow my hygiene routine and have all my cleanings done, well what do you know! My dentist has told me I will probably have this set of "choppers" till I leave this planet Not only that, I have been told my cleaning schedule will now be going to every 8 months instead of every 6! Once a year on the insurance! Yep! Count me in!!!! ALL my pockets have moved down to threes and fours with a couple of twos thrown in as well So, to sum it up, the surgery is well worth it if you want to keep your teeth! Just do all your follow up care and especially home care and you will be smilin' pretty for a very very long time
Blessings,
Teri S

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Woke up around 4am (I haven't been sleeping well for about 2 weeks now because of teeth issues and worries). My right side is basically pain free- some sore spots, but my front teeth and a back molar on my left side were hurting and swollen. I'm assuming this is from the deep cleaning and maybe over doing the mouth treatments- I've been brushing 2+ times (I'm trying to remind myself to do it softly), plus flossing, plus mouth wash - I don't think my mouth is use to it. Dentist, while poking at my gums, cut one of my bottom front teeth and it's been painful for about 5 days now (comes and goes) - I think today might be a rest day (dentist suggested gargling with salt water and I've been popping Advil for the pain). Nothing major- totally fine to do my normal routine and eat, but still worries me.

I also bought myself a Water Pik last night (online- should be here by Saturday though). I've been thinking about it for about a week now (on and off before that) and decided to go ahead and purchase it since it includes a tool called the Pik Pocket, which is supposed to be able to easily clean teeth pockets up to 5.5 mm (I have some 6's and 2 7's, but hey this is better than nothing). I just cannot get to my back teeth when I'm trying to floss without having both hands in my mouth- which is annoying and gross. I'm also scared I'm going to hurt my teeth by being too forceful, although the dentist showed me how to go to town on my molars yesterday (I thought she was going to yank out a tooth or at least one of the old fillings... apparently I have stronger teeth than I though! ) I tried to mimic her movements, but did a bad job on my molars. So water pik for me, although I'm planning on still flossing as well.

This is totally not me- I normally don't care about my care (I mean I care- they worry me- but not enough to put this much care into them) and less than a week later I'm brushing twice a day, flossing, using mouth wash, and trying to buy special toothpastes, mouth washes, and water tools to assist me. Hopefully I'm picking up on new good habits- I want to be able to keep my teeth as long as possible.

March 2015 - Teeth Pictures

Decided it was time to post some teeth pictures. Enjoy!


[broken image links (before pictures) removed]

Ooh and btw, today my mouth is in a little more pain that I would like. I found 2 white bumps next to my back molars (pretty sure it's from the deep cleaning) and a sore/infection on my front tooth (lower jaw) from when the dentist cut my gum (accidentally while poking around to see how the gums where). My tongue is kind of annoyed too- not sure what it is wrong with it.

Using a salt water mouth wash to help, but I'm assuming this is just something that I need to give my mouth some time to heal. I read on one dentist's website that they suggest not brushing or flossing for a week after a deep cleaning. It was only on one web-site so I'm not sure about that- but I'm thinking I might just using a gentle mouth wash and salt water rinses if I'm still in pain.

The sores behind my back molars and on my front tooth are finally healed. A tiny bit sore but nothing much.

I've stuck to brushing my teeth and using my prescription mouth wash in the morning (2-3 minutes) and having a 20-minute routine in the evening. Evening routine starts with using my Water pik with water and my sensitive gums/gingivitis mouth wash - I use one pik for general flossing and then the Pocket Pik to get into my deeper pockets (has been hurting my gums less and less so I'm thinking that's a good sign). I follow that up by traditional flossing with actual floss since I've read varying results between the Water Pik and flossing- so might as well do both. Following by brushing and using my prescription mouth wash again. (I don't have to use the mouth wash after Thursday, but the dentist told me to hold on to it if my gums start to hurt.)

Hoping that in time this will help heal my gums and stop the bone loss. To me, it doesn't look like I can see major bone loss and none of my teeth are loose. I can tell my gums are loose when I floss- so I know that must be bone loss too but I'm really thankful I don't have any loose teeth.

Next appointment isn't for another week- I'm flip flopping on if I want my husband there are not. He's has off, but I think I can do this by myself ... but then I'm worried I won't be able to do this by myself... but I don't want him to get in the way of the dentist and any assistants... but I'm worried I'll be in a lot of pain and not feel well afterwards. Today's decision is that he won't come but he will be extra special sweet in caring for me when I get home... although maybe I'll ask him to wait in the front area.

^^^^ Yeah that's how my mind is working right now. Anxious but not out of control anxious since I've done this process twice already.

Hi

Great Journal, well done you for facing your fears and getting stuck in to this whole dental journey. It sounds like you have an excellent dentist which is a great help as well!

on the payment side, I understand exactly where you are coming from, as I've embarked on a dental Implant journey that is going to cost me close to $6,000 for one tooth (approx. $900 already spent so only $5900 to go). However, I'm willing to pay what I need to to get the right result.

please keep up your journal, you are doing amazingly well

So are you in pain?Why do you need root canals?
Do you have pain when biting so that's why they are doing crowns?

comfortdentist said:

So are you in pain?Why do you need root canals?
Do you have pain when biting so that's why they are doing crowns?

Click to expand...

One or 2 teeth do have some pain when I bite- both on my left-side of my mouth. My dentist determined I needed those root canals after looking at my x-rays. (I have to double check my records again and see which teeth he wrote down for root canals. Right now I have such a long list of stuff to do that I'm getting panicky when I try to figure out what is going on in my mouth. I basically can just do this one step at a time.)

The root canal I'm getting done next week had a giant filling in it and part of the tooth (about 25% of the tooth) broke off. He put a temp crown on it and I have semi-sharp pain when I bite down on that side (I can only eat soft foods on it), so I'm assuming that really does need a root canal/crown.

For the crowns without root canals, I think it is because I have some molars that have really old fillings in them (10+ years) and since the filling takes up most of my tooth and has weakened it (from what I understand), it's best to just get rid of the old filling and weak tooth and replace with a crown.

Right now I'm dealing with the idea of paying $1600 for flap surgery - I heard that might only work about 60% of the time. I'm wondering if I could possibly do the laser version of it - but I have to do more research and see if my dentist would recommend it and where I could get the laser procedure done (cutting my gums open and dealing with stitches right now is freaking me out).

I already know I wont schedule the flap surgery until my summer vacation starts - I don't want to have to deal with school/work while going through that if I do.

Update - 3/28/15

I feel a bit better about possibly doing the flap surgery - yes I'm obsessing (I was up at 4 am this morning thinking about it *sigh*). I found some resources from dental sites that state that the laser procedure doesn't show enough evidence that it will actually heal the pockets, compared to the flap surgery. That makes sense to me since I watched a video of the laser procedure - I can see how the laser would kill any bacteria currently in the pocket and how the dentist would be able to scrape off the plague under my gumline, but I have no clue how they expect the pocket to shrink back and up against my tooth. Putting a stitch in to hold it in place seems like a smarter option.

The cost though is still a concern - we do have credit card debt (about $12k eek), need to get a new car (my husband's car is a poc), but I have the Care Credit at least. I think we will just have to buckle down and say NO to a lot of things. We have such bad habits with spending money and not caring for our bodies properly. I've signed my hubby and I up for a weekly meal plan to be emailed me each week - it has 7 dinners included and we're on the budget meal plan, so the ingredients will only cost us around $50 a week, so about $200 a month for dinners. Hubby will need some lunches - I get free lunches at my job and I just nibble on left-overs or something simple when I'm not working (I don't normally eat breakfast - just need a cup of coffee or two). The way we're spending, if we spend about $400 total on food (which is a lot for 2), we would save nearly $1600 a month. Yes, I know... don't judge... we eat out way too much (and hubby is very giving and will happily pay for meals for friends too). There's my flap surgery costs right there in 1 month!

Since I started going back to the dentist earlier this month, I've encouraged my husband to sign up for dental insurance later this year when there's open enrollment. Thankfully as a child his teeth were coated with something that prevents cavities but is really expensive - his Dad's health insurance covered it though (WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS AS A CHILD!?!), so his molars literally cannot get cavities. But his gums are bad and I'm worried he doesn't get that he can still lose his teeth. I'm going to try to get him to at least try my Water pik (his own pik though), but I think he needs to get his gums checked out.

I was doing some research last night about different treatments for gum disease (it's all on how to prevent it - well what the heck do you do when you HAVE it and need to work on healing it??? ) - one treatment had patients getting specially made trays of their teeth and using a hydrogen peroxide gel (less than 2% of it in the gel) to kill bacteria in the teeth pockets. But it is all by dentist/prescription only and my dentist probably doesn't use it. I looked up buying the gel but most of them have a huge amount in it and are for teeth whitening - I don't want that amount on my teeth/gums because how it can damage the teeth, but I do want to clean out my gums.

Okay... so simpler solution (though probably not as a good I know): I purchased a kit based on the recommendation of my Mom (she's using a different product from the same company) and it is for those who are dealing with gum issues. It came with mouth trays, so I set them up for my teeth (clearly not nearly as tight as the prescription ones - oh well) and I used the tooth paste in them (just a dab - my mouth/throat doesn't really like the tooth paste - it makes it burn/sore, but it comes highly recommended). Bottle says 10 minutes, I did 20 minutes - drooling every where the last 5 minutes (thankfully I'm home alone today and my cats don't judge me), then used my Water pik to rinse out my mouth, and used a biofilm mouth wash to rinse again. Gums are a little irritated but nothing too bad- I think it's from the ingredient that sounds similar to the hydrogen peroxide (at least the result feels the same to me).

Over all since I started just a few weeks ago, my gums bleed so much less (it's usually just a bit from traditional flossing now - none from using the Water pik or brushing my teeth) and they look better. Hubby says my teeth look whiter - I'm not sure (I think that mouth wash stained them a bit - my tongue has a yellowish covering on it at the end of the day). But my breath at least tastes/smells better to me. (I'm not worried to sleep face-to-face with my husband any more) I know I won't see results in just 2-3 weeks, but I do hope I'm helping my mouth. I really hope I am.

I just realized I'm happy my tooth broke recently... it is what scared me enough to bring me back to the dentist and start taking care of my teeth. OMG that is awesome (well... I think so at least....).

March 28 2015

Picked up something new to try today. I like flossing sticks better than regular floss because then I don't have to jam both hands into my mouth and try to keep the floss tight enough on my fingers. However, most floss picks still have me having to angle the product oddly in my mouth and the floss tends to shred (I have some tight gaps between some teeth but I need to get into the teeth pockets to clean them out properly).

I've noticed that some companies have been angling their floss picks differently (instead of up and down on the floss head, it is side to side) and I found one that has shred resistant floss.

I picked up Oral-B Glide's Pro-Health Floss picks (they were about $5 for 30 of them - not bad for a 1 month supply). The floss looks more like plastic than string and the end of it has a pick to help get bigger pieces of food out of the tooth. I was really impressed that I was able to reach all of my molars (I still needed to stick a finger in to raise my cheeks to access some- mainly so I could move the flossing pick side-to-side) and the floss did not shred at all (and I tried lol). I was finally able to get into one troublesome molar - which caused some bleeding (which is to be expected - it is around the area that I need flap surgery), so at least I know I'm able to access all of my teeth now.

I'm going to be dipping my floss pick into a biofilm mouth wash - sort of doing a dip, floss, rinse off method. I'm hoping doing that will help to get more of the bacteria out between my gums and promote healing.

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I had to also clean out my medicine cabinet - I'm starting to hoard dental products Not shown though is my Water pik (doesn't fit in the cabinet) and my prescription mouth wash (which I stopped using at this point - only needed it for 1 week since it stains teeth/tongue). My toothbrush has to sit on the top shelf and I bought a special thing to clip on to the tooth brush head to disinfect it.

Update - 3/31/15

I've been really upset about my gums the last few days... I just think they are getting worse, even though I'm doing everything I'm supposed to be doing~ brush after every meal, using mouth wash every time, flossing once or twice, use the Water pik every day. Yes I see less blood while flossing when I brush/floss, but the gums still look really red. No improvement on the crown that I posted before.

*sigh*



Red gums - I just used my Water pik, but this is the normal color. Not sure what to think - I can't measure my pockets so all I can go on is my gum color.


The crown that has the gum issue. Looks the same from the first one I posted a few days after deep cleaning.

WHEN AM I GOING TO GET RESULTS!?!?!?

Dentist visit #4 - April 2, 2015

Back from the dentist- worse part was getting there. Very nice dentist - first time I've had him - very gentle with his touch, actions, and while talking to me. Did some breathing directions while he was giving me the needle, which I appreciated - the needle this time didn't hurt at all (YAY - I'm so happy about that). Literally did not leave my side until the procedure was done - most dentists seem to leave the room while I'm numbing up (I don't mind either way), gave me plenty of time to become numb, and didn't mind giving me a second needle when the first didn't seem to be enough.

I honestly nearly took a nap in the chair I was so calm - this is my 4th time going there, so I think I'm getting use to being at the dentist again. I'm fine once I go back to the dentist and start treatment - it's the LONG delay when I stop getting treated and then start again that gets to me.

My next ordeal at the dentist is my scariest one - oral surgery - I need to have flap surgery done on half of my mouth (the left side). It has been scheduled for May 13th - which means I'm going to have to ask for time off, but my dentist says I need to have it done ASAP. I'm going to probably ask for half a day at work (miss a faculty meeting) and the next day off at least... maybe 2 days... but I have to do this. I have the sick time at work, so I won't be getting in trouble and I'm sure my dentist would verify for my employment that I need this procedure done right away. But the whole missing work thing is making even more nervous and stressed.

Still my first 4 procedures have all been okay - I'm sure with the oral surgery I'll do fine. It's just the waiting game now... and I hate this part.

Since yesterday's root canal...

Some pain and swelling over the last 24 hours. Nothing horrible - annoying, but not too bad. I think the swelling is causing the tooth to feel off - not placed correctly, so my bite feels a bit odd to me, but more annoying than worrisome (like I should call my dentist). Eating soft foods - stuck to having a salad and some eggplant with cheese for an early dinner. Although all of these procedures are keeping me from wanting to really eat normally (not a big deal since I should lose some weight).

I haven't touched the painkillers that were prescribed to me - just 3 Advil (600 mg) every few hours when I'm being bothered or notice swelling. I got the stronger pills just in case - I didn't want it to be midnight and suffering when I couldn't get my script filled.

I did my normal brushing routine before bed - just was gentler to the area that was worked on. Water pik (I put hydrogen peroxide and a dental wash in my water to help with the cleaning process), floss (I did not floss between the tooth that was worked on since it's swollen and the temp tooth is tightly against my other molar - didn't want to pop it off or anything), brush, and mouth wash. I'm glad I've kept up with the flossing after using the water pik - I have had times where I'm getting a lot of food unstuck between my teeth that my water pik hasn't gotten out (maybe I'm just not using my water pik correctly).

But still in pain - once again nothing horrible, just sore (like how my muscles feel after a work out) and my gums have that irritated feeling. I'm happy I don't have any more root pain though and I'm getting closer to having a healthier mouth. I let my hubby take my car in to work so I'm "stuck" at home all day to rest - I'll worry about taking care of errands when he gets home.

Flossed between my root canal tooth and another molar- used regular floss and pulled it out the side. Some grim came out and I noticed there's some extra cement coming out one of the sides. Bite feels a bit better than before, but I think I might have to go in after Easter and have them grind down on side. I'm going to take a look at the extra cement and see if removing that bit helps - without popping off my temp crown. I've been flossing like I usually do prior to my root canal (with a temp crown on it) and no issues, now I'm just being more careful.

Had to buy more mouth wash today - between putting it in my Water pik and using it at the end - a few times a day - I'm going through bottles within weeks instead of 5 or 6 months! Hubby and I watched this show where this lady was obsessed with cleaning her teeth and we noticed that her nighttime routine is basically my nighttime routine. After that, we went shopping and I've had a habit of going into the dental aisle to see what they have- for fun really, but I needed more mouthwash. Hubby asked if he should be concerned - I told him no. I think this is just a phase while I start my dental treatment and try to get my gums back into better health. I want to try out different products and see what I like. I already have an idea of what flosser I'm going to buy after I run out of my current one. And I want to find some kind of holder for my Water pik tips but they didn't have anything for them at the store we were at. I am worried about my mouth - and super interested in learning how to take care of it - but I don't freak out if I can't brush my teeth after I eat.

Still in pain... it feels better than Saturday, but I'm still in pain and that's really discouraging. I think it is the fit of the tooth.

For a person who had a dentist phobia, this is what keeps me from going to the dentist. I think I might wait another few days and see if the tooth just needs some time to heal.

Update.... 8:31 pm
Still not perfect but a lot less pain the last few days. I read that extra cement can cause pain between the teeth (extra pressure when the tooth is pressed), so I carefully took some floss and dipped it in a biofilm mouth wash, then gentle pulled in through the area (I read that I shouldn't try to pull the floss back up, but pull it out the side so I did that). It was really gritty, so I've done that a few times today and noticed less pain. I know that they normally don't put a lot of cement to fully cement the tooth down - since it is a temp - so I'm assuming it won't fit as well as my permanent one. I'm just happy I have less pain - I so did not want to have to keep popping 4 Advil to deal with the pain. I took 1 dose of 3 Advil this morning and I haven't had any need for a repeat, although I'm taking another 3 before bed for any over night discomfort. Eating tires my jaw out, which makes it ache - but it's tooth 18 (the last molar on that side), so I'm not surprised my jaw aches. Less pain when I press on the gums than before.

I'm hoping that another few days and it will just be a dull ache if anything. I've been praying a lot to help deal with it- I won't see the dentist for another month and then some, although I know I can call to have them check up on the tooth (they did do an x-ray before I left). Like I said earlier - I'm trying to not over react and giving my tooth plenty of time to heal before I bother the dentist.