Hi guys,

I visited a dentist here in Thailand with toothache yesterday, and left with
my two right-hand side wisdom teeth in a plastic bag, just 90 mins later!

I've never had a tooth removed before, and language issues (I'm British, the
dentist was Thai) meant that communication wasn't easy.

Anyway, he gave me an antibiotic (Amoxy) to be taken 4 times daily, and a
painkiller (Parcet) to be taken every 4-6 hours while pain lasts.

I've got 11 Amoxys left (having taken 2 already today), so that's those
finished on Saturday morning. I've only got 3 Parcets left though. Having
taken one two hours ago, I guess I've got 10 hours of pain relief left. Ugh.

Oh, and a bag of gauze swabs, "in case I want to change them". No instructions
as to how to do so, or why I'd want to.

Now it's about 30 hours since the surgery. I had a cigarette about 6 hours ago,
then had the brainwave of searching the internet to see if there's anything
I should know. Number one tip seems to be don't smoke. Oops.

I've been drinking plain bottled water, and tried (and failed) to eat some
noodles earlier, but managed better on the ice-cream.

My big problem is that I can't actually open my mouth, or at least "un-bite"
my teeth, so to speak. I can feel the gauze on top of my "holes" - it seems to
be stiched in, and is either one pad stitched to both gums, or two pads stuck
together (with blood, I guess), but I think it's the trauma around the gums
and jaw that's causing the stiffness rather than the gauzes being tied
together. Also the right-hand side of my lips is all messed up, presumably
from where the dentist's hand was pressing while wrestling with the pliers.

So my jaw won't let me open the back of my mouth, and the skin around my lips
will tear if I open the front. I can't change the gauzes even if I wanted to,
and obviously can't eat solid food. I'm dying for a pizza!

How long should it be before I can
1. eat solids
2. smoke cigarettes
3. drink alcohol (bearing in mind the antibiotic)

Thanks.

PS. I have a follow-up appointment at 1pm next Tuesday, but was hoping I'd be
able to do most, if not all, of the above before then!


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On May 30, 10:29 pm, Barry Price <barryjprice+use...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi guys,
>
> I visited a dentist here in Thailand with toothache yesterday, and left with
> my two right-hand side wisdom teeth in a plastic bag, just 90 mins later!
>
> I've never had a tooth removed before, and language issues (I'm British, the
> dentist was Thai) meant that communication wasn't easy.
>
> Anyway, he gave me an antibiotic (Amoxy) to be taken 4 times daily, and a
> painkiller (Parcet) to be taken every 4-6 hours while pain lasts.
>
> I've got 11 Amoxys left (having taken 2 already today), so that's those
> finished on Saturday morning. I've only got 3 Parcets left though. Having
> taken one two hours ago, I guess I've got 10 hours of pain relief left. Ugh.
>
> Oh, and a bag of gauze swabs, "in case I want to change them". No instructions
> as to how to do so, or why I'd want to.
>
> Now it's about 30 hours since the surgery. I had a cigarette about 6 hours ago,
> then had the brainwave of searching the internet to see if there's anything
> I should know. Number one tip seems to be don't smoke. Oops.
>
> I've been drinking plain bottled water, and tried (and failed) to eat some
> noodles earlier, but managed better on the ice-cream.
>
> My big problem is that I can't actually open my mouth, or at least "un-bite"
> my teeth, so to speak. I can feel the gauze on top of my "holes" - it seems to
> be stiched in, and is either one pad stitched to both gums, or two pads stuck
> together (with blood, I guess), but I think it's the trauma around the gums
> and jaw that's causing the stiffness rather than the gauzes being tied
> together. Also the right-hand side of my lips is all messed up, presumably
> from where the dentist's hand was pressing while wrestling with the pliers.
>
> So my jaw won't let me open the back of my mouth, and the skin around my lips
> will tear if I open the front. I can't change the gauzes even if I wanted to,
> and obviously can't eat solid food. I'm dying for a pizza!
>
> How long should it be before I can
> 1. eat solids
> 2. smoke cigarettes
> 3. drink alcohol (bearing in mind the antibiotic)
>
> Thanks.
>
> PS. I have a follow-up appointment at 1pm next Tuesday, but was hoping I'd be
> able to do most, if not all, of the above before then!
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com

1.Well Barry, you can eat and ...eaten solid food already. Now you
need to rinse out the food carefully after each meal.
You can use mouth rinse or just warm salt water.
2. No smoking perferrable your whole life. Cos nicotine can cause a
serious infection call "dry socket" which delay healing in serious
case your jaw bone may expose which is very painful that is gurantee!
3. No alcohol with drug at any time my friend. Wait till your wound
heal up first. No Alcohol with pain KILLER!!

The gauze should not be stiched in, possible is just blood sticking
together. It did sounds like your operator a bit rough.

I am a dental assistant, so I am going to share the information we
give to our patients after an extraction.
Four Big NO-NOs for at least 3 days after the Extraction:
NO Smoking
NO Drinking With Straws
NO Spitting Hard
NO Sucking Hard
anything that creates negative pressure in your mouth can dislodge or
destroy the clot. This can cause a dry socket and believe me you don't
want one of those. Although it is only a form of delayed healing, the
dry socket can last anywhere from 10 to 40 days and is very painful.
I am not sure about the gauze that is at the extraction sight. I am
wondering if it is not just stuck to the site by dried blood rather
than actually sewn to the tissue. We usually have our patients bite on
the gauze for the maximum of an hour and that is is.
We recommend a light, soft diet for about 24 hours and then our
patients eat what they want. I do tell them to stay way from really
hard foods, no running down to the local Mexiacan restaurant for chips
and salsa,lol. Really once the numbness from the procedure has gone
away they can eat what they wish. If anything gets in the extraction
site the discomfort will let them know to stop or at least be a bit
more careful how they eat.
Some patient do experience a stiffness of the jaw muscles around the
injection and the extraction site. That may be what is causing the
difficulty with opening you mouth. Use some lip balm around the lips
and see if that helps.

Good Luck & Hope This Helps,
K

On May 30, 10:29 pm, Barry Price <barryjprice+use...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi guys,
>
> I visited a dentist here in Thailand with toothache yesterday, and left with
> my two right-hand side wisdom teeth in a plastic bag, just 90 mins later!
>
> I've never had a tooth removed before, and language issues (I'm British, the
> dentist was Thai) meant that communication wasn't easy.
>
> Anyway, he gave me an antibiotic (Amoxy) to be taken 4 times daily, and a
> painkiller (Parcet) to be taken every 4-6 hours while pain lasts.
>
> I've got 11 Amoxys left (having taken 2 already today), so that's those
> finished on Saturday morning. I've only got 3 Parcets left though. Having
> taken one two hours ago, I guess I've got 10 hours of pain relief left. Ugh.
>
> Oh, and a bag of gauze swabs, "in case I want to change them". No instructions
> as to how to do so, or why I'd want to.
>
> Now it's about 30 hours since the surgery. I had a cigarette about 6 hours ago,
> then had the brainwave of searching the internet to see if there's anything
> I should know. Number one tip seems to be don't smoke. Oops.
>
> I've been drinking plain bottled water, and tried (and failed) to eat some
> noodles earlier, but managed better on the ice-cream.
>
> My big problem is that I can't actually open my mouth, or at least "un-bite"
> my teeth, so to speak. I can feel the gauze on top of my "holes" - it seems to
> be stiched in, and is either one pad stitched to both gums, or two pads stuck
> together (with blood, I guess), but I think it's the trauma around the gums
> and jaw that's causing the stiffness rather than the gauzes being tied
> together. Also the right-hand side of my lips is all messed up, presumably
> from where the dentist's hand was pressing while wrestling with the pliers.
>
> So my jaw won't let me open the back of my mouth, and the skin around my lips
> will tear if I open the front. I can't change the gauzes even if I wanted to,
> and obviously can't eat solid food. I'm dying for a pizza!
>
> How long should it be before I can
> 1. eat solids
> 2. smoke cigarettes
> 3. drink alcohol (bearing in mind the antibiotic)
>
> Thanks.
>
> PS. I have a follow-up appointment at 1pm next Tuesday, but was hoping I'd be
> able to do most, if not all, of the above before then!
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com

1.Well Barry, you can eat and ...eaten solid food already. Now you
need to rinse out the food carefully after each meal.
You can use mouth rinse or just warm salt water.
2. No smoking perferrable your whole life. Cos nicotine can cause a
serious infection call "dry socket" which delay healing in serious
case your jaw bone may expose which is very painful that is gurantee!
3. No alcohol with drug at any time my friend. Wait till your wound
heal up first. Alcohol with pain KILLER!!

On May 30, 10:29 pm, Barry Price <barryjprice+use...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi guys,
>
> I visited a dentist here in Thailand with toothache yesterday, and left with
> my two right-hand side wisdom teeth in a plastic bag, just 90 mins later!
>
> I've never had a tooth removed before, and language issues (I'm British, the
> dentist was Thai) meant that communication wasn't easy.
>
> Anyway, he gave me an antibiotic (Amoxy) to be taken 4 times daily, and a
> painkiller (Parcet) to be taken every 4-6 hours while pain lasts.
>
> I've got 11 Amoxys left (having taken 2 already today), so that's those
> finished on Saturday morning. I've only got 3 Parcets left though. Having
> taken one two hours ago, I guess I've got 10 hours of pain relief left. Ugh.
>
> Oh, and a bag of gauze swabs, "in case I want to change them". No instructions
> as to how to do so, or why I'd want to.
>
> Now it's about 30 hours since the surgery. I had a cigarette about 6 hours ago,
> then had the brainwave of searching the internet to see if there's anything
> I should know. Number one tip seems to be don't smoke. Oops.
>
> I've been drinking plain bottled water, and tried (and failed) to eat some
> noodles earlier, but managed better on the ice-cream.
>
> My big problem is that I can't actually open my mouth, or at least "un-bite"
> my teeth, so to speak. I can feel the gauze on top of my "holes" - it seems to
> be stiched in, and is either one pad stitched to both gums, or two pads stuck
> together (with blood, I guess), but I think it's the trauma around the gums
> and jaw that's causing the stiffness rather than the gauzes being tied
> together. Also the right-hand side of my lips is all messed up, presumably
> from where the dentist's hand was pressing while wrestling with the pliers.
>
> So my jaw won't let me open the back of my mouth, and the skin around my lips
> will tear if I open the front. I can't change the gauzes even if I wanted to,
> and obviously can't eat solid food. I'm dying for a pizza!
>
> How long should it be before I can
> 1. eat solids
> 2. smoke cigarettes
> 3. drink alcohol (bearing in mind the antibiotic)
>
> Thanks.
>
> PS. I have a follow-up appointment at 1pm next Tuesday, but was hoping I'd be
> able to do most, if not all, of the above before then!
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com

1.Well Barry, you can eat and ...eaten solid food already. Now you
need to rinse out the food carefully after each meal.
You can use mouth rinse or just warm salt water.
2. No smoking perferrable your whole life. Cos nicotine can cause a
serious infection call "dry socket" which delay healing in serious
case your jaw bone may expose which is very painful that is gurantee!
3. No alcohol with drug at any time my friend. Wait till your wound
heal up first. No Alcohol with pain KILLER!!

On 30 May 2007 08:53:35 -0700, wrote:

>2. No smoking perferrable your whole life. Cos nicotine can cause a
>serious infection call "dry socket" which delay healing in serious
>case your jaw bone may expose which is very painful that is gurantee!

Alveolar alveolitis (dry socket) is not an infection !
It is the loss of the clot from the boney crypt.
The cause is unknown, non-smokers get dry sockets too.

Dry socket may be painful but is easily treated.

On 30 May 2007 12:29:40 GMT, Barry Price <barryjprice+> wrote:

>My big problem is that I can't actually open my mouth, or at least "un-bite"
>my teeth, so to speak. I can feel the gauze on top of my "holes" - it seems to
>be stiched in, and is either one pad stitched to both gums, or two pads stuck
>together (with blood, I guess),

Likely, a diluted H2O2 rinse can help break down the blood to get the gauze out.
This long after surgery you shouldn't still be using them.

Once you get the gauze out it may bleed, use new packs for 20-30 min
then remove them. If still bleeding repeat once or twice more.
Once bleeding stops to a slight ooze you don't need the packs anymore.

> but I think it's the trauma around the gums
>and jaw that's causing the stiffness rather than the gauzes being tied
>together.

Stiffness is quite common, moist heat packs can help relieve this.

On 30 May 2007 09:10:59 -0700, wrote:

>On May 30, 10:29 pm, Barry Price <barryjprice+use...@gmail.com> wrote:

We heard you the first two times.

On May 30, 2:29 pm, Barry Price <barryjprice+use...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I've got 11 Amoxys left (having taken 2 already today), so that's those
> finished on Saturday morning. I've only got 3 Parcets left though. Having
> taken one two hours ago, I guess I've got 10 hours of pain relief left. Ugh.

Prescription painkillers and any other drugs your heart may desire are
available over-the-counter in Thai pharmacies, if you need any more.
Or at least they were the last time I was there... check out Boots if
there's one near you!

On 2007-05-30, <> wrote:

> 1.Well Barry, you can eat and ...eaten solid food already. Now you
> need to rinse out the food carefully after each meal.
> You can use mouth rinse or just warm salt water.

Sorry, I should have specified "substantial solids". Noodles are approx
2mm thick. My appetite is rather larger

> 2. No smoking perferrable your whole life. Cos nicotine can cause a
> serious infection call "dry socket" which delay healing in serious
> case your jaw bone may expose which is very painful that is gurantee!

Yes, I read about dry sockets online. Sounds horrific, so I'd obviously
like to avoid that. Haven't had a second cigarette yet, so fingers crossed.

I thought it was caused by the sucking motion when drawing on a cigarette
though, and that this pulled out the blood clot?

> 3. No alcohol with drug at any time my friend. Wait till your wound
> heal up first. No Alcohol with pain KILLER!!

Heh, okay.

> The gauze should not be stiched in, possible is just blood sticking
> together. It did sounds like your operator a bit rough.

I am guessing that the top and bottom gums are separately stiched up, and that
separate gauzes were placed on top of the wounds. And that in time, the whole
lot got stuck together with blood and whatever else.

The experience was a bit rough. I'd always imagined wisdom tooth extraction
to consist of a general anaesthetic and possibly an overnight stay. Not
something that I'd remain conscious through, and be done in 90 minutes!

Thanks for the advice...

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com