I had one wisdom tooth pulled yesterday, so I guess I'm 25% less wise today . Anyway, I learned a few things that might be worth sharing...
My problem started when I noticed that tooth #14 (third from last tooth on upper left jaw) was sensitive to pressure. It was a little painful, but on a scale of 1 -10, it was probably a 3 at worst. I visited my dentist. He verified the location of the problem and took an x-ray that showed a large cavity in the wisdom tooth (#16) two teeth farther back. He was befuddled about the pain in #14, so he referred me to an endodontist, who after another x-ray, was just as befuddled. He sent me home and told me to monitory symptoms for the next couple of weeks. They never got worse, and gradually got better, but didn't disappear entirely. My dentist also recommended that the wisdom tooth should come out as the cavity was located between teeth, and it would be very difficult to treat.
The extraction was done under local anesthetic. I felt nothing. I heard the crunching and grinding as he worked the tooth out. Took about a minute. No pain whatsoever since. Just doing saline rinses to keep it clean.
I asked the oral surgeon a couple of questions. One concerned why I was having issues with #14 when #16 had the cavity. He said that it was most likely referred pain. There is no evidence that #14 had any issues at all.
I also asked a question regarding the location of the maxillary sinuses as I do daily sinus rinses with a neti-pot. Those sinuses are above the roots of the upper jaw's teeth, and sometimes the bone gets perforated when a tooth is extracted. He said that if that happens, it generally resolves itself within a few weeks. Just wonder what would happen to a weggie who is on high dose pred and leach more calcium than the body is absorbing.
So, here I am, fortunately feeling normal. I'll continue to follow the post-op instructions and take appropriate measures if something seems to be wrong.
Pete
dx 1/11
"Every day is a good day. Some are better than others." - unknown
"Take your meds as directed and live your life as fully as you can." - Michael Chacey, MD
Bookmarks