Category: Health

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Filling tooth 31

Just back from the dentist where I had one last filling done. This one had to be done in the back side of one of the molars, and couldn’t be done until after the wisdom teeth were removed. This time getting the filling done was a little more troublesome than the first one.

I think because the tooth is still pretty sensitive from the wisdom teeth extraction, there wasn’t any amount of anesthetic the dentist could have given me that was going to keep the tooth from reacting harshly to the drill.

First came the topical, which is just to numb the skin so the needle injecting the anesthetic is less bothersome. After letting that take effect, there was one particular spot on the tooth that reacted anytime the dentist touched it with the drill, so I got another shot. A few more minutes to let it take effect, and although there were no problems drilling other areas of the tooth, just one spot kept reacting. Then came some more anesthetic right at the tooth, but that didn’t help much either. One final shot a little further up along the jaw numbed me to the point where I couldn’t open my mouth all the way without using my hand, but still the tooth kept reacting.

At that point I just had to bite the bullet and take the discomfort of the drill. Fortunately it didn’t last long, but I have a feeling this molar is going to stay sensitive for a while longer.

Filling finally got done and now it’s just wait for the numbing to wear off.

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Post teeth extraction day 14

Two weeks after the wisdom teeth were taken out. Everything seems to be healing up pretty nicely. No more pain where the teeth used to be. There are days where the remaining teeth are a little more achy than others. The molars in my lower jaw have been pretty pressure and temperature sensitive lately. I’m hoping that goes away over time because it sure makes chewing and drinking a bit of a pain.

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Post teeth extraction day 5

Five days after the wisdom teeth came out and the swelling is much improved. Finishing off the last of the antibiotics the dentist prescribed and weaning myself off the ibuprofen.

Still eating mostly soft foods. Still have to be careful of food getting stuck where teeth used to be. A gentle swishing and rinsing with some warm water after eating usually takes care of that though.

Biggest problem now is that my molars hurt (the ones that are left) and are pretty temperature sensitive, particularly the on the lower right. Makes chewing difficult. Still, I think I’m making pretty decent progress healing up. Ready to be back to normal though.

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Post teeth extraction day 2

Recovery from the wisdom teeth extraction has been going much better than expected with much less pain, discomfort and swelling than I expected. So far the only problem I’ve had is a bit of swelling along my lower right jaw where the tooth that was removed in pieces was.

Diet still consists mainly of soups and soft foods. May be ready to move on to more solid foods in another day or two I think. The hard part has been trying to keep stuff from getting stuck where the wisdom teeth used to be.

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Toothless

Content warning: The squeamish among you may not want to click through the links in this post.

Wisdom teeth extraction seems to have gone pretty well. The dentist put an IV into one of the veins in the back of my hand, and after giving me whatever he used to put me under, I don’t remember anything until waking up. Wasn’t feeling as groggy as I thought I would be, more like the kind of woozy and slight disorientation you get after being woken up from a deep nap. I’m told that I was talking (or rather mumbling) during the procedure though, and that at one point I even tried to scratch an itch. I really don’t remember anything at all.

Mouth was all kinds of numb, and 6 hours later, it still is. Dentist said it would probably stay that way for most of the day. Probably a good thing.

3 of the wisdom teeth were extracted intact, but the 4th one had to be removed in pieces and isn’t complete.

Here are links to pictures of my teeth. I think they’re pretty neat to look at. They have a fair bit of plaque and tartar build up on them. I imagine being so far back in the mouth, they’re hard to clean properly, and getting them with a tooth brush isn’t always that easy.

Clicking the links may not be for the squeamish.