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Futher post extraction gum panic

M

McGonicle

Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Messages
65
Hi guys,

Ok, now the swelling around site of my lower right wisdoms tooth extraction has finally started to recede and I can get a slightly more realistic look around there and I'm having another bought of paranoia over what is going on.

First off, as the gum around the second molar was so swollen for over two weeks and I couldn't brush around there, I'm still concerns that some now unaccessable bacteria might have been dragged under the gumline, in the long term causing the same sort of damage that caused the wisdom tooth to need removal. There seems to be a lot of plaque type hard gunk on the top of the tooth and in the normally accesible area that has been covered by the swollen gum. I don't like that. Why don't they offer to polish and tidy up you teeth after you've had work that restricts brushing? My mouth as a whole feels pretty dirty now despite my best efforts.

Secondly, I'm worried about what is going on behind that second molar. I know it can't be like this, without the swelling I can see the hole of where the wisdom tooth was. I'd hoped the stitching would fuse it in one go, but there is a quite visible slit. But what worries me, is that this appears to back onto the rear of that second molar. Is more of that second molar exposed than was before? I'm thinking because I've seen the X-rays that must have been a fair piece of gum between the 2nd and 3rd molars, but now I'm getting delusions that there is like this great new piece of tooth exposed that I won't be able to brush properly, and then with start to decay and will be inacessible because the gum will heal up.

Someone please settle my madness! :)

Rob,
 
Bacteria won't have got down below the gumline and lived for more than a few seconds, that's one of the reasons the site gets a bit swollen and angry, your body has been pouring defence cells in there.

Have you asked the dentist to clean it up for you? I wouldn't do it unless I was asked unless it looked really bad.

There may be a small additional bit of the back of the tooth exposed, but it won't decay any faster than normal. The gum won't close back over it though.
 
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