My dentistry habits are not good. Being of British heritage, my only trips to the dentist have been limited to “when you’re in pain.” And so, I have not seen a dentist in 30 some years. My teeth aren’t terrible, but they’re not up to North American standards.
Anyway, I saw a dentist last week who put me on antibiotics so that I could have an abscessed molar pulled today. Let me tell you, I was absolutely amazed at how little pain was involved in pulling said molar, with local anesthetics. I’m now 8 or 9 hours after the fact and I’m not even in any residual pain.
Has dentistry come this far in pain prevention, or do I just have an amazing pain tolerance? I was worried sick how painful this was going to be, and then…nothing.
Sounds not too different from my experience. I hadn’t been to a dentist in my entire life for a number of reasons (financial, mostly) until I had to have an abscessed front tooth pulled last month. Honestly, the pain from the abscess itself was much worse than any of the post-extraction pain, and after a couple days I didn’t even need the rest of the Tylenol 3 pills (acetaminophen + codeine) that i’d been prescribed.
I get the impression that there might be slightly more post-op pain involved with a molar (which i’ll know for sure sometime soon since the dentist wants to do a lot more work in preparation for dentures), but unless you get a dry socket (which you shouldn’t if you follow the dentist’s instructions) the worst of the pain should be past you.
I had a molar pulled in January - it wasn’t abscessed or anything, but it had been bothering me for years, and I was glad to get it out (crown then root canal had not fixed the bothering). I had some pain that night after the freezing came out, and some pain over the next couple of weeks, but surprisingly low levels, easily handled with ibuprofen. I had a few episodes of searing pain in the socket, but I think that was result of eating on it too soon - that also cleared up quite quickly.
Don’t get a dry socket - I had one with a wisdom tooth extraction, and it was much, MUCH more painful than this last extraction.
I had two back molars pulled last Monday. I’m in more pain now then I was a day after they were pulled. I ended up getting two dry sockets( followed everything dentist said, non smoker ) and I still got them. Today was the first day I didn’t take pain pills ( must be getting better) I also had the sockets packed four times. Today they took the last packing out, I feel a dull pain. The funny thing is I had four wisdom teeth pulled 20 yrs ago ( I’m 36 ) all together I took 6 Advil the whole time. I guess every tooth and person is different.
Just had last molar pulled Monday. It’s sore’ish when I move my mouth in certain ways. I take drugs overnight so I get a good night sleep. Just gotta be careful what I eat for the next couple days.
I had one (a lower) pulled recently and didn’t even fill the hydrocodone prescription they gave me. I took a couple of ibuprofen after the local wore off and that was all. If you get a little aching try something like that first, but you probably won’t have any trouble. Just don’t get all complacent and try to chew on that site until your gums have had time to heal.
Leaffan, your experience mirrors mine in tooth extraction. Providing the dentist has frozen the necessary areas well (the most difficult part for the patient, IME), the actual extraction is not terribly bothersome, and there is little, if any, residual pain.
I had a molar pulled recently, and there was no residual pain. Though the dentist did say that if it occurred, he recommended nothing more complicated than Motrin. I got some on my way home from the dentist’s, just in case, but didn’t need it.
I’ve had extractions twice and one was very difficult for the dentist to remove. I still had negligible pain afterwards. I even did a major no-no and rinsed my mouth a lot (sorry, I do NOT like looking like a vampire with blood all over my teeth) because I was bleeding quite a bit afterwards and I still didn’t have more than very minor discomfort (certainly no need for the Tylenol 3’s I was prescribed). From what I’ve read I would highly not recommend doing what I did (rinsing your mouth a lot); just saying that it won’t necessarily cause grief.
After having a dry socket many years ago, I don’t rinse after an extraction for a couple of days, just to make sure the clot stays in there as long as it needs to. I think they usually say 24 hours, but once burned…
ETA: I’m worried again. If there’s no blood, does that mean there’s a clot and I’m OK? I just tried to look in there, but I can’t see much. Why did they tell me to rinse often with salt water? Oh God. More beer.
Sounds like a clot has formed to me (but IANA dentist); dry socket is more likely to occur if you are a smoker. I can’t remember if you’ve ever said you smoked. Also, don’t suck thick liquids like milkshakes through a straw. The vacuum effect of that and smoking are the main reason dry socket occurs, according to my dentist.
I had an upper molar extracted earlier this year due to bone loss under one of the roots; it was gonna abscess eventually, so I had it proactively removed. I didn’t need anything more than ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Beer is good too, but not with acetaminophen-it makes your liver cranky. My bleeding stopped within a few hours, and there was minimal pain for about a week.
