I was under general anesthesia. They gave me all the choices, and since I usually do pretty well under general, that's what I went for. They filled everything up with novocaine or whatever they use before they finished up to hold me over later.

My sockets are all stitched up. Not sure if they will stay closed, but they aren't open for food to stick in for now.

I got lots of big nasty blood blobs when I pulled the first gauze packings out. But after the first four hours, the bleeding was just mild. They kept a slow ooze for the most part, but I was under the idea that was a good thing.

I can whoosh air in and out and there's no pain associated with doing that.

Guess I'm fine for now. Definitely noticing my bottom 2nd molars loosening up which hurts. Reminds me of when I got braces tightened when I was a kid. Both bottom wisdom teeth were impacted forward into the 2nd molars.I guess now the bottom row will move about some until they "set anchor" again. I can move the bottom molars around a little with my fingers (not sloppy loose, but can flex them a bit).

Forgot to ask to keep my teeth, and they were long gone when I remembered at home later.

I was going to make a necklace out of them with some of those Hawaiian beads...

I'm right at 19 minutes overdue for the pain meds but I'm gonna see how long before I "need it".

Mine was horizontally impacted against the next molar too, mine remaining teeth were the same way. They were a little loose for a week or so, then they stopped "drifting" and set anchor again. Glad that yours was stitched up. Mine had stitches where it was backed into the back of my mouth, but not where the tooth erupted from.

You sound like you aren't such a good candidate for dry socket. That's good.

You'll heal really fast if you were a good bleeder the first day. Those blood clots are already probably granulating into tissue.

Sounds like everything is covered up that needs to be. Glad to hear it.

They say vitamin C helps the granulation of new skin.
And they say try to keep getting nutrition too. I stopped drinking alcohol for a couple weeks, and that helped too. (Back to drinking now, YEAH!)

Good luck. I had to check back and see how your pain level is. Tomorrow and Saturday will be key. If you make it through the weekend without developing BAD pain, you should be out of the woods. You'll know. It won't be that soreness kind of thing. It will be like a root canal, only worse. Watch those lowers! Only about 5% get dry socket, so your chances are good.

That's reassuring news. Makes good sense though.

Yeah, first day was bloody and gory. I was sitting in the surgeon's office waiting for my number to be called and my wife said "How did you come up with that outfit?"

I was wearing some pretty loose fitting blue dockers and a free white NewYork NewYork casino tee shirt I got for signing up on one of those gambler cards when we were there.

I said, pants are loose and comfortable and I won't be sad if blood gets all over this free shirt. She went on to tell me how they would take care to drape me with stuff and I wouldn't get any blood on me. I said, "No, I mean later". I'm not going to want to swap shirts later on.

Sure nuff, about an hour after I got home, she wanted me to take my first meds. Bloodbath. Shirt looks like I was killed in it. The dog even looked at me all weird...

Pain is no worse today. Getting around the house and working on stuff a little at a time. Nothing big, just stuff like oiling door hinges and resetting latch plates and stuff..

Gonna go take some vitamin C. Been drinking cranberry ginger ale which I don't think even accidentally has any C in it. Only been eating soup and yogurt and such. Bet I haven't gotten a lot of C. I normally do, though, so maybe some "reserves" from before surgery have been helping. I'll go dose up right now though.

And since I've been home all bored and such, I've been listening to my wife ask how come people aren't buying her purses on her website. I told her its cause she won't pay to get her website listed in the search engines. Somebody do me a favor and throw a few hits on her website. In fact, how about free shipping to OSO members on any of her belts or purses. I think they're silly, but women are stopping her in the stores asking her where to get one.

www.chiksak.com

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No C in cranberry. Tons of B.

I wouldn't overdo carbonation, although since you are all stitched up, it might not matter.

They probably told you to stay away from commercial mouthwash too.

They gave me Peridex, which was an antibacterial but non-alcohol mouthwash.

Not surprised about the blood. They make it bleed on purpose when they are all done by stirring an instrument around in the socket. That's what makes them heal right. (and fastest). Sounds barabaric, but that's how it works.

Hopefully if anybody else goes through this, this thread will help them recognize and avoid dry socket. It really is that bad.

Glad to hear that you are moving along normally. Sore, but not out of your mind with pain. Sore is normal.

Took my Multivitamin, two C tablets, and an iron capsule. Figured since my diet was more or less pudding, cream of wheat, and soup, that I might not be getting a lot of other stuff. Also figured that extra iron can't hurt with the bleeding..

anyhow, by bedtime last night I was convincing myself I had a dry socket. As I sit here now I'm pretty sure I don't. I guess I just spent too much time talking yesterday.

Got to go in to the office to gnaw my way through a huge stack of work, and at 4:30 I have a meeting wih an employee who quit last week and wants his job back.

It's my responsibility to sit down and tell him why I'm not going to hire him back. He's been with me for seventeen years. Feels really odd to be setting this talk up with him. I guess in a really watered down way, this is what people go through in a marital separation (no, I'm not comparing it in a parallel manner, just recognizing a lot of the same emotions but on a far less intense level).

I run my business like a family. I let my guys get away with murder, but I know how hard they can work when they want to. And I make it a good place to work. Spend lots of time money and effort trying to accommodate their needs. Now, out of the blue, my biggest griper (you know, the ones that are just never satisfied, something is always unfair to them) decides to change careers. Pow. Gives me 2 weeks notice. We talk about why he's leaving, and it's just "all about him". Makes it clear to me that it's always been about him, and that he was never really a team player. Makes me a little sad, but I wish him the best.

He leaves on Friday. Wednesday he's calling me and telling me he made a horrible mistake and wants to come back. I tell him I'll talk with him Friday since I'm sorta hurting a little bit from the tooth job. I call and talk to my shop supervisors and they are telling me that the shop is a whole different place. Other guys are coming up and saying how great it is to not have to put up with all of the griping.

Kind of a crappy deal. The guy has already quit his "new" job cause it wasn't what he thought it was going to be. Is expecting me to rehire him. He's got kids and a wife. I'm honestly hating it for him. This is a BAD time to be hunting for a job in my industry. I'm worried about him.

I'm not hiring him back, but I will offer to loan him some cash to carry him through till he gets settled again..

Anyway, I'm skipping the 11:30 meds so I can drive in to the office.

Wish me luck.

Think of it this way, if you had fired him 16 years ago, you would have had better morale all this time, and he might have learned to be a team player by now.

Don't "lend" him more than you are willing to write off.

Just an opinion from a guy you don't know.

Hope that I didn't contribute to your dry socket paranoia. There won't be any doubt if you get it.
You will know. It usually hits on the third to fifth day, according to my paperwork.

By Monday I don't think you will even be at risk any more, if you are now. I really think that having the extraction site closed over with stitches really lowers your chances.

Okay, 7:30 am was the last pain med I had when I left for the office around noon. Had a meeting at 4:30 and by then was in significant discomfort from my lower right jaw.

Got home at 6:00 and immediately popped pills. Three hours later, I am still in moderate pain. The stitches have pretty much worked themselves loose on both bottom sockets. I can breathe air back and forth without sharp pain. One of the guys at the shop said that was what hurt him when he had a dry socket. This leads me to believe I do NOT have a dry socket. But I am in considerably more discomfort than I had expected, and I am pretty tolerant of most pain.

Most of my pain is around both the top and bottom right hand sockets, with more pain extending down to my throat. My tongue has gone all "geographic" with white splotches that look like continents, and they won't brush off with a toothbrush.

I'd love to be able to just ignore this pain and keep on trucking but by 4:00 today, my hands were shaking. Couldn't take pain meds cause I had to drive.

Course now it's the weekend and it will be difficult to see anybody till Monday I'd expect.

Are you on antibiotics?

Might be a wise choice, if you are unable to maintain clean environment (normal under the circumstances) infection may be possible. Also, if symptoms are worsening at this point, there is a strong probability of a dry socket regardless of whether air stimulates pain or not.

The "geographic tongue" you are describing may be related but there is such a condition that is stress moderated and can come and go without symptoms.

Although it is Now Saturday, It might be wise to be seen before symptoms worsen.

As a interim treatment, GENTLY gargle with warm salt water. it creates an osmotic gradient that can give relief, lyse (pop) some bacteria, and draw excess fluid from the surrounding soft tissues, thus the relief.

Remember, heavy exertion can still exacerbate your condition

2112 DDS

Ask your dentist for the indian herb packets that sit in the socket. Not sure if indeed they are indian, that's what I refer to them as. Be careful, you may want a Chief powerboat after they heal. :)

Salt gargle has provided some relief.

I have gotten more aggressive with the little water blaster syringe thing I am supposed to clean the sockets with. Figured maybe something is in there causing some trouble. Decided if I blew out the clot I'd still be no worse off. I believe I did get some stuff out, even though I haven't been intentionally chewing on that side.

Found an old expired bunch of antibiotics and am now happily taking them (big ole 875mg Augmentins that I am breaking in half and taking twice a day).

Pain meds just aggravate me. Double dosing Mepergans is required for even moderate relief, so I've just been going without any today and staying busy. Running errands, doing light yard work (pushing the power edger around and spraying roundup, nothing particularly strenuous).

About 2pm came in and ate, brushed and flushed the sockets. Gargled with salt, popped pain meds, Ibuprofen, and kicked back. Still hurts bad enough that I need to stay diverted (surfin the net, reading magazines).

If I stay diverted it remains tolerable. Talking and swallowing are the most uncomfortable. Inlaws were here for dinner last night and wanted me to talk seemingly all night long. Kept trying to just sit and be "included" in their conversations, but they kept orbiting back around to something that required my input. Finally just had to excuse myself to the bedroom just to keep from having to talk. Sheesh.