Wisdom teeth removed

[Jon Ersser]

Earlier this year I started to fight against this fear and have been battling it hard ever since.

I decided to get my wisdom teeth out as they were causing me a lot of bother. So on Friday I had the procedure, and all is going well to this point.

I'm concerned about a few things being in recovery mode right now. Like for instance I haven't really brushed the teeth that are next to where the wisdoms were properly since. I've started slowly and carefully.

I'm also concerned about my bad breath as well. But from what I read elsewhere this is all normal at this point of recovery.

My brother is the one that got me over the line really with all of this. He could see that how much this meant to me. I remember coming out after the surgery and seeing him stand outside of the practice crying. I think it means as much to him as it did me.

He has always wanted to change my life. He has done that. It's hard for me to see that at the moment because of all the pain I'm having and the fact that I'm not eating much, but this once again I've been told is a normal reaction.

I just can't believe the fight of nearly 11 years is almost over.

 

[Enarete]

Hi Jon,

wow.. what a huge step.. great job and well done! This must still feel a bit surreal as you have been fighting against it for so long and it sounds like your brother was really touched too.. thank you for sharing this beautiful moment!

It is safe to brush your teeth next to the extraction site, all you need is being gentle and avoiding the extraction site itself. I don't know about the breath, but maybe this gets better once you feel confident enough to brush properly and as the healing progresses. Hope you can eat again soon. We have few soft food ideas here if that helps you to get energy without having to chew much. How strong is the pain you are having?

Wishing you a speedy recovery

 

[Jon Ersser]

Thank you for replying. I think one of my biggest issues I have at the moment with the brushing is because I brush a bit hard and I don't feel as if I'm going to clean them properly and then end up having problems with them because of not brushing them properly.

In terms of pain. It's not anywhere near as painful as yesterday. Wow that was an experience.

But the pain is there today but not unbearable. The swelling is going down slowly. Does the swelling and pain ease with time?

I agree this feels like a surreal experience, to the point I'm not even sure I've done this. I feel bored at the moment because I've been at home all day for the last few days and time is dragging. I fortunately booked time off work for this to happen and will return at the weekend.

Is it normal to still be feeling slightly numb in a certain area after a surgical extraction.

I'm just so excited at the prospect of being able to live a life without worrying about my wisdom teeth ???

 

[Enarete]

Let me pop in another link for you that may help as well:

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

The pain should subside gradually. Many people experience the worst pain on day 2 or 3. As usually, if there is anything that makes you insecure, having it checked is a good idea. Have you scheduled any follow up appointment?

So you usually brush hard and now as you can't because of the extraction site, you feel your teeth are not clean enough?

 

[Jon Ersser]

This is exactly how I feel. I'm too scared to brush the teeth next to where the wisdoms were because I don't want to dislodge the clot. The bad breath that I have at the moment is making me feel as if I'm not cleaning properly. I've not brushed one of the teeth at all since Friday and the other three I sort of started trying this morning with varying results.

I used to brush my teeth really hard. I used to use a hard toothbrush and it would only last me 3 brushes and then I moved onto the next one.

That has since changed. I've worked hard on the technique this year so that I brush a lot lighter. They last me about a month at the moment before I change.

Fortunately my brother has been with me on every step of this journey. He has got so involved with this. He said 'once you recover from those wisdoms. We will work on that technique'.

The problem is my fear started with me having a painful filling that I had. I'm worried that if I don't find a way to brush these teeth soon this will happen again.

My anxiety towards the dentist is going for sure but I think I have a lot of ocd with my teeth. I need them to be clean.

Fortunately this particular place has a sort of aftercare team. They said that if I have any issues with the numbness or stitches they will make me an appointment and check everything is okay.

The weekend just gone has been very hard mentally for me as I think I may have entered a state of shock at having them out.

 

[Enarete]

Thank you for the good explanations, I feel like I understand you a bit better now. This has been a huge chapter for you and there are so many feelings, fears and past experiences tied to that. I am glad you have your brother who seems to really care and I am relieved that you two have an eye on your brushing too.

You mentioned a state of shock at having them out.. do you feel like you are getting back to normal now as few days have passed?

For now I am wondering what could make you feel more confident about brushing those adjacent teeth, or maybe at least less occupied? It is understandable that you worry about getting your teeth clean, if this all started with a painful filling.. which I am sorry you have experienced, because fillings shouldn't be painful and a kind dentist would always make sure they wouldn't be.

Sounds like you are doing what you can and trying hard to take care of your teeth.. would it be of help if I told you that pressure is not what makes teeth cleaner? It's actually pretty easy to remove plaque even without any pressure. Or maybe to let you know that brushing is not THE only factor when it comes to preventing tooth decay but it has a lot to do with eating habits too.

 

[Jon Ersser]

I don't feel like I'm back to normal unfortunately. I feel as if my mind is constantly focused on not brushing those teeth. Fortunately I'm confident to brush every single one of those teeth except the ones near which is great.

Im on and off at the moment. Like I call this fear a life-consuming fear as its genuinely the one thing that I ever think about. I can't even say the word. So I call it tooth doctor. I can type the word but not say it.

In terms of the brushing, I mean I've watched videos and even asked my dentist for help but I can't get my head around it. I suppose the best thing to ask at the moment is, what is the best way of getting past the habit of wanting to feel clean.

I know I can deal with how hard I brush a lot better now than I did, it's I suppose the understanding of how to feel confident that I've cleaned my teeth well and can move onto the day without thinking about it.

One thing I also don't understand is that I try really hard to keep clean, but then I still get tartar on my teeth.

I suppose I still have many questions in which I want to ask that I want the answer to.

With the wisdom teeth removal, I heard that after a week Im most likely to have recovered. What I'm wondering does that mean I can then brush normally without the worry of loosening the blood clots?