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Any dentists in the house?

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 ripper 23 Feb 2013
I had a tooth out on Thursday and the blood clot has just come away - 48 hours after the extraction. There's no pain at present - does the absence of pain mean I shouldn't be overly concerned about dry socket? Or should I be off to the emergency dentist first thing in the morning?
OP ripper 24 Feb 2013
In reply to ripper: still no-one? the 'ask UKC' rule fails?
 RagingSphere 24 Feb 2013
In reply to ripper:

It can be treated the same way I treat most climbing injuries. Pack it with chalk and worry about it later....

As you can probably tell I'm not a dentist and the above course of action is potentially very stupid and probably wouldn't taste too nice either!

Mark
OP ripper 24 Feb 2013
In reply to monkeymark: yeah thanks - probably less tasty than keeping it sterile by soaking in single malt...
 JamButty 24 Feb 2013
In reply to ripper: Not a dentist either so don't stand by my view - but it doesn't sound like a problem. Rinse with slightly salty water and keep an eye on it?
Perhaps just call them on Mon?
 Queenie 24 Feb 2013
In reply to JamButty:

It happened to a friend, they spat out a big clot, then rinsed with salty water over a few days and it healed up nicely. Good idea to call them tomorrow for peace of mind, as mentioned above.
 Voltemands 24 Feb 2013
In reply to ripper: Sounds fine too me, just keep rinsing with either fluoridated mouthwash or salty water. Try not to poke the area overly much, and watch out for food getting/staying in there.

If you've not seen any sign of dry docket within 48 hours you're very unlikely to experience it. If you are a smoker then just stay away from the fags for a few days. I don't know if you've had it before, but it really is NOT worth the trade off for a few cig's.

Would advise not calling your practice if you've no symptoms, you'll just be wasting your phone minutes when they purely tell you it's fine. HTH (not a dentist, but a Dental Care Professional)
OP ripper 24 Feb 2013
In reply to Voltemands: thanks, pretty much as I thought - not had dry socket before and don't touch the fags, and I've already been doing the salt water (and will continue to do so) so fingers crossed no probs.
 Voltemands 26 Feb 2013
In reply to ripper: No problem. If you'd welcome some advice...

Definitely start using some interdental cleaning aids too keep the space nice and clean, for example interproximal (tepe) brushes or interspace brushes. The last thing you want is the unfortunate loss of a tooth affecting the adjacent teeth through plaque retention of food impaction.

also, start considering some form of replacment for the lost tooth. That area is going to be prone to future dental disease and you don't want the other teeth drifting into its space causing other knock on effects. Implants are expensive but worth every pound if you get it done with a good product and a professional with experience and skill. Even if it's a tiny denture it is better than a gap.

lecture over, sorry.
 cha1n 26 Feb 2013
In reply to ripper:

Dry socket is one of the worst pains I've ever experienced. Don't risk it, pop into the dentist and he can tell you right away and plug the socket with some anti-septic stuff.

The pain doesn't come on as soon as the clot comes out but builds over a day or so. Trust me, I've had it twice and it's definitely worth a 10 minute session with the dentist.
OP ripper 26 Feb 2013
In reply to ripper: cheers guys - the clot came off on Saturday afternoon and as I've managed to reach Tuesday afternoon with none of the horrible-sounding pain associated with dry socket I'm hoping I've avoided it.... damn, have I just tempted fate?
As for implants, if I found £10,000 down the back of the sofa I could probably just about justify spending £1,000 of it on a new tooth. Failing that, I'll have to wait until my lottery-based investment portfolio comes good...
 Voltemands 26 Feb 2013
In reply to ripper:
> As for implants, if I found £10,000 down the back of the sofa I could probably just about justify spending £1,000 of it on a new tooth. Failing that, I'll have to wait until my lottery-based investment portfolio comes good...

I can fully appreciate that sentiment Do try and fill it with something though, if you're that financially minded think of it as an investment in terms of safe guarding the the other teeth.
 cha1n 26 Feb 2013
In reply to ripper:

Ah yes, seems like you're safe now. I didn't look at the date of the post, just assumed it was posted today!
OP ripper 26 Feb 2013
In reply to Voltemands: yeah thanks I'll give it some thought - less a case of 'financially minded' though, more a case of being fairly skint...

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