greeneyes

About two years ago I was told that my wisdom teeth had come about 80% through and I should consider having them extracted. Since they weren't bothering me, I didn't take that advice. Big mistake.

Fast forward to last night, dinner time, and the little bugger on my lower left is making my mouth explode with pain. I can't even swallow because just that little bit of suction is too painful. And forget chewing or anything touching my cheek. So now it is Sunday, no one is open, and the only emergency dentists in the area accpet "patients of record" exclusively. Well, damnit, I just moved here!

Does anyone know any good "at home" remedies? I'm currently downing as much extra strength Tylenol as my liver can handle, cradling my jaw in pain, and I've been up almost all night.

Help!

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uncle_el

two threads about wisdom teeth in the same week

you appear to be in charlotte, nc... assuming you have insurance, go to carolinas medical center emergency room. you could have an abscess (a pocket of pus) in your jaw, or it may just be causing pain and inflammation... either way, you might get a pannorex (xrays of your teeth and jaw), a few labs drawn, some pain medication, and possibly a consult with oral surgery (i'm not sure if there are oral surgeons there or not).

as far as home remedies, it doesn't seem like much is going to be done if you won't/can't chew or touch your cheek. i'd say to use warm compresses on the outside of the jaw 15-20 minutes at a time every hour.

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greeneyes

Thanks for the link to the other thread. I had seen it, I just didn't want to threadjack it and ask about something completely different in regards to the topic.

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NoSoup

Well, it may be a bit too late, as it is now Monday afternoon, but if you are still in pain I'd suggest getting some Over the Counter Tooth Pain medications. I bought these Orajel (sp?) Q-tip things that you snap off one end and the medication drains into the other.

First and foremost - it's very cool in a CSI-eske manner....

Secondly, it worked like a charm. About 5 seconds after application whatever it touched was numb.

Good luck!

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Just in case you were wondering...

thingstodo

Man, get to a dentist who will give you an antibiotic and pain releivers. Then, go to the oral surgeon and have them all removed ASAP. What the hell are you waiting for? This is serious stuff here! Now I'll go read those other links.

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greeneyes

What I was waiting for was Monday morning. I posted that on Sunday morning at 6:00 AM in extreme pain. Dentists are not usually open on Sunday morning and Monday was a holiday, but thank you so much for your help.

I was able to get into a dentist today and the verdict is: three impacted wisdom teeth that need to be surgically removed. Oh, and the one that is killing me right now has a lovely abcess on it. So they gave me some 'scripts for amoxicillin (to kill the infection) and Vicodin for pain and a referral to an oral surgeon whom I am hoping to get an appointment with this week. Joy.

Oh, and Oragel? It's my newest best friend.

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Stiltzkin

Never posted on this board before...

What can I say? Keep us posted.

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wolf

Really, trust us. Go have them out, it will be less painful than keeping them in. Read the threads, I believe I have a post in there about my experience.

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greeneyes

Seriously, are you people even reading what I am posting? Honestly!

I do want to get them out. Read here:

See? I am hoping to get an appointment = I want to get them out. Do you people just read the thread title and then post your first reaction to it?

/rant

I did get an appointment and it is tomorrow afternoon so I'm relieved about that.

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Stompy

Make sure they give you vicodin for when it's done. You'll need em. Take an extra one or two to get that "extra special" happy feeling.

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greeneyes

Thanks for the advice, Stompy. I just got back from the oral surgeon and due to a cancellation, I'm having surgery first thing tomorrow morning. I've never been put completely under before, so I'm a bit nervous about that.

I'll update when I can.

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passthru

By the time you read this you should be done with the surgery, hope it went well..
You should be in the clear now, if you haven't already realized this =)
Once my wisdom teeth were pulled, the painkillers worked very well (percocet). But don't tell anyone the pain is completely gone.. Then you'll have a better excuse to eat icecream/popsicles/etc.
Also, good luck with that infection, hope the amoxicillin helps clear it up.

greeneyes

Thanks so much for the advice and well wishes. The pain was pretty bad last night and I didn't get much sleep, but the hydrocodone seems to be helping more now. The only irritating thing right now is the random drooling... it's just so sexy.

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thingstodo

Glad to hear it worked out. If women can have a baby and then want another, wisdom teeth are nothing!

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greeneyes

Right now, drugs = loveliness.

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abaya

How much does a panorex cost, btw? I am supposed to get my teeth out, too, but only have insurance to cover the extraction (not the appointment or x-rays). To be honest this is why I haven't done it yet. However for the last 3 months, whenever I bite/clench my teeth, my right side molars ache a bit... and I'm wondering if this is a cavity or a wisdom-tooth related thing?

Thanks for any tips. Greeneyes, glad you lived through it! I'm scared of being put under, too... but I guess most people live.

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greeneyes

My panoramic x-ray cost $94 at the dentist and my oral surgeon consultation cost $103. However, if your dentist can give you a referral to the oral surgeon without the panoramic (ie, looking at past bitewing x-rays) that would be better because most oral surgeons discount the cost of the panoramic with the consultation. A little tip I found out after I already had them done at the dentist.

The total cost of my surgical extraction (excluding the consultations) was $1,631. The breakdown was this:

Surgical Extraction - Impacted, Soft Tissue (three teeth): $711
Surgical Extraction - Impacted, Complete Bony (one tooth): $438
General Anesthesia (30 minutes): $306
General Anesthesia (additional 15 minutes): $176

I can understand being worried about the insurance, I paid for this all out of pocket and am hoping to get reimbursed by my insurance (long story), but something that you should know in regards to wisdom teeth is that you run a higher risk of damaging nerves the longer you wait to have them removed. For me, I was in the "moderate risk" category because my wisdom teeth had fully developed roots. There is a nerve that runs horizontally along the lower jaw that my roots were very close to and had damage been done to it, I could have lost feeling to my lips and cheeks which may or may not have been permanent. Also, there is another nerve that runs on either side of your jawbone vertically that usually does not pose a threat but because my lower, right tooth had come in horizontally, its roots had developed very close to it as well. Had that nerve been damaged, I could have permanently lost all feeling in my tongue. This is why more and more oral surgeons are recommending you have your wisdom teeth pulled as soon as they appear on x-rays, around the ages of twelve and fourteen. However, most dentists would like you to wait until the tooth fully erupts from the gum so that they can pull the tooth and not have to refer you, thereby making more money.

I was lucky, I had exceptional oral surgeon who really knew his shit and took great care of me. Even if I don't get everything reimbursed, he was worth the money. Let me know if you have any other questions, my oral surgeon gave me a lot of literature that I wish I had read years ago.

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greeneyes

I just got back from the oral surgeon for my follow up exam and everything went swimmingly. Wounds look good and the stitches will be completely dissolved soon so that's good news. Now I'm just looking forward to eating "real" food again!

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Put the blame on me
So you don't feel a thing

Go on and save yourself
Take it out on me