So scared about extraction

[Maudelsie]

Hi, I have a cracked tooth. My dentist was ' monitoring' it but an infection set up and my jaw swelled badly. V painful. I ended up on a Saturday morning seeing an emergency dentist who xrayed it and gave 5 days amoxicillin. That helped a bit but my original dentist said she couldn't extract for another 3 weeks. This led to my finding a quick appointment ( only lucky break!) with a maxillofacial surgeon who said still infection and reddening of gum. Gave me 7 days of Amoxiclav and cocodamol and he will extract it on Wednesday ( now Sunday)
Really anxious as it still seems a little sore around the jaw. Will the anaesthesia work? Will I be in pain and frightened. Have I had so much penicillin that it won't work in future? Full of awful fears and can't do anything. Never had anything but a filling and I'm 60! Cd someone help?

 

[letsconnect]

Hi @Maudelsie, I honestly think you have nothing to worry about. The maxillofacial surgeon will have a vast amount of experience with this sort of thing and giving enough local anaesthetic and in the right spots should do the trick just fine! You may find it useful for your peace of mind to agree on a stop signal beforehand. That way, if you feel anything, the numbing can be topped up.

Antibiotics doesn’t really stop working on an individual level, but more on a population level - what happens is that when they’re overprescribed, bacteria evolve and become more resistant. In any event, once the tooth is gone, the source of the infection is also gone and you shouldn’t need any more antibiotics.

Wishing you all the best for Wednesday- please let us know how you get on

 

[Maudelsie]

Thank you, @letsconnect . I definitely will report back. You've made me feel better after worrying all afternoon and evening.

 

[Maudelsie]

Hello @letsconnect . Well, I had it done! I WAS v nervous but the maxillofacial guy explained every step which helped and the anaesthetic ( 3 injections!) meant I didn't have pain during the procedure. Weird pushing and pullings more like. He used stitches after the extraction, not gauze. It hurts now though!! And he did warn me: you're going to feel sorry for yourself in 3 to 4 hours which is now! Taking cocodamol etc.

On some sites I read that dairy is best avoided after an extraction. He didn't say. I've got extra yogurt in!

Thank you very much for your support beforehand.

 

[letsconnect]

Great to hear that the appointment went well Hopefully the painkillers have kicked in (remember to take the next lot before this one wears off).

The thing about dairy sounds like hogwash - yogurt is absolutely fine! You can also find some more tips about healing after tooth removal here:

Healing after Tooth Removal

What should you do following tooth extractions? Find out about the healing process, and the do's and don'ts for a speedy recovery.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Wishing you a speedy recovery