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← Return to Dental work while on Reclast
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I want to respond and report how my situation has progressed since our last connection.
I proceeded with the extraction of the root from #11 at the oral surgeon on October 13th. To fill you in on his procedure, He had me take one capsule of doxycycline one hour before the extraction. Then one capsule (100mg) bid for one week. He reported that the root came out clean, and there was a lot of bleeding and he felt that this was a sign that the health of the bone was good. The rest of his instructions were to rinse with salt water 4 to 6 times a day and to use Peridox mouth rinse every am and pm ( 1 tablespoon) for 60 seconds until gone. I have followed his instructions. I take 1000mg of Tylenol every 6 hours ( up to 3,000mg in 24 hours)routinely because of my severe arthritis and the extraction area, although still tender, the sensitivity is less each day. I have been experiencing pain around a level 3 at the rear, lower left jaw area. Wondering if this could be a referred pain. However this "pain" has not increased in intensity. I expected the oral surgeon to ask to see me at a follow up appointment to be sure the extraction site was healing properly. However, he said that he did not need to see me again unless I had increasing pain or needed him to extract my remaining four teeth. I was not able to get clear answers to the very helpful questions you offered for me to ask. I asked for a feasible plan going forward and he said that I would have to decide if I wanted dentures. I asked how soon would I be able to have my remaining 4 teeth removed? and he said I could have that done in 2 weeks. He said as far as he could tell, he thought I had a stable upper arch. I finally settled with asking him for the name of the most qualified dentist he knew to provide me with dentures. I will make an appointment with this dentist and see if he can assess how well the extraction area is healing and if it has filled in with new bone. I don't understand how using the measurement whether or not I have increasing pain can really answer that question adequately. I am grateful that the extraction appears to have gone well and that I am healing. I am not in any hurry to have any further procedures done at this point. I can cope with only four teeth for now.
I would really like to know if you think my next step, to have the Denture specialist, assess the health of the jaw bone, makes sense to you. Or what would you advise ? Thank you, so very much ! Through out this whole procedure, your calming, intelligent input has been so helpful.
Replies to "I want to respond and report how my situation has progressed since our last connection. I..."
Good morning. ☺️ I just reread your post to make sure I cover all the points.
First, you have a very good oral surgeon. He is really doing his best to make sure your mouth heals well and that there are no side effects from the extraction. That he felt you could have the remaining extractions in 2 weeks if you choose to, is a good sign.
It’s pretty normal not to require a followup appointment for what’s referred to as a ‘simple’ extraction; meaning there were no complications and the tooth took minimal effort to remove. If you had unusual pain or bleeding, then that would be different. But your case sounds as though this was exactly as he anticipated.
Your next step will be to visit the new recommended dentist. He/she will do an oral exam and possibly take some impressions of your mouth, (study models) if not at that first appointment then at a later date. This gives the dentist the opportunity to do a work up plan for your dentures.
The pain in your lower jaw in the back, as I mentioned yesterday might be from having your mouth open during the extraction. Our jaw muscles aren’t used to stretching open for long periods of time. I have the same problem if I have a long procedure done. So here is a little trick I would tell patients who were having an upcoming dental appointment.
Simple opening and closing mouth exercises with tongue on roof of mouth can help prepare for the dental appointment so you can get through the appointment without too much problem.
Open your mouth with tongue on roof of mouth for 5 seconds then close. Repeat this for a minute. Only 5 seconds at a time.
That means you should be able to do 10-12 repetitions of 5 second holds in one minute. Try doing this more often and a little longer as the dental appointment comes near and the day of your appointment. Helps to stretch. And may help relieve your already sore jaw.
Also, you are now only using your front teeth to chew. So that can add more pressure on your TMJ (your jaw joint). A few exercises you can try when you’re not in too much discomfort:
First, place your thumb on the bottom of your chin and press up using moderate force. Open and close your mouth up to 10 times. You may notice small popping or clicking — stop if the movement is painful.
Using equal force, put your thumb on the front of your chin and press backward, moving it like you’re opening and closing a drawer.
I know you’re not considering getting any more treatment soon. But, it would be in your best interest to have that upper denture done sooner than later. There are several reasons for doing so, but one of the most important is this; By having a full mouth of teeth again, you might find that your jaw/joint pain goes away. With putting all the pressure on the front of the mouth for chewing in moves the muscles in the jaw unnaturally.
Ok, that’s enough information to chew on for now. Hehe…pun intended! I really do concur with the oral surgeon for you to see the denture specialist and have your mouth evaluated. That dentist will present your options and then at least you’ll have a plan. How’s that sound?
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Hi, @hlp123! I was wondering how your extraction went. Pfhew, first one out of the way and it sounds like it went really well.
I’m on a road trip right now but want to answer your questions in more detail. “Mice-type” on the phone makes that tough. 😉 I’ll be back online tomorrow where I can type a lot easier.
In the meantime, I’m wondering if your jaw pain is from holding your mouth open during the extraction. I’ll send some info on how to avoid that next time. For now, you can try some warm and cold compresses in that jaw area. Warm for 20 minutes with a wash cloth or hot water bottle and switch to an ice pack for 20 (wrapped in a towel-not in the bare skin) and then back to warm for 20 min.
You can also try massaging the area on the outside. If it’s not too uncomfortable you can put your finger inside, back in the area of your mouth where the pain is and gently massage for a few minutes. Both of those will increase blood flow to the area.
I’ll be back tomorrow. 😊