Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with wisdomtooth

never trust anyone with bad teeth

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:35:26 -0800

I have a carny mouth. Should I get dental insurance before I decide to take care of it? No pain, but several cavities and a few teeth (including two wisdom teeth) have been rotting and falling apart for several years. 4-6 years ago, a dental school said that it would cost 4-5 thousand dollars and take 3-4 visits to fix. That doesn't include getting them whitened or anything cosmetic. Today, one of my molars broke in half and I swallowed it with some wasabi trail mix. That tooth only had a little speck of a cavity yesterday. I'm willing to wait another 6 months or whatever it takes IF IF IF insurance will make it so much less expensive that I can risk losing even more teeth. I am starting to fear that more teeth will fall apart if I wait too long.

I do brush my teeth and don't need to be lectured on prevention; please try to be sensitive. I had some mental problems in my youth, forgot about basic hygiene, and still haven't fixed the havoc it wrecked on my teeth, so the cavities keep getting worse and worse.

I am in Florida and have basic medicaid, but it only covers emergencies and might not even be good anymore. As I've had only minimal pain for the past few years, I've never bothered seeking treatment for emergencies. Recently, I did try calling all of the oral surgeons listed in my area, as I was directed to do, but found that none of them take medicaid anymore.

Any advice is welcome. I want to remain anonymous, but will try to answer questions through mathowie or jessamyn.

Thank you.

Should I set these wisdom teeth clots free?

miniminimarket — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:52:40 -0800

WisdomTeethFilter: I had my bottom two out yesterday afternoon. After changing the gauze the first time, I noticed I had little stringy, thin tissues hanging from each hole. I called my surgeon, who said losing these initial clots was normal and not dry socket. Problem is, they haven't dissolved or broken off like I hoped. I'm worried they'll end up pulling up my real clots out. So, should I cut them? Pull them? Leave 'em be? They're long enough to sort of feel curling below my gums or in my cheek. Also, they don't taste great. Has anyone else had this? I will do pretty much anything to avoid dry socket.

Removing the wisdom tooth opposite the problem?

TheophileEscargot — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:53:20 -0800

WisdomToothFilter. My previous dentist told me I had impacted wisdom teeth, which might need future attention. I now have toothache in the bottom-right of my jaw. New dentist says I have an infection there and has prescribed me antibiotics. However, he says the problem is the top-right tooth which is pressing down in the wrong place, and it's the top one that needs to be extracted. Is it valid to remove the tooth that's not giving me a problem? I've made an appointment for him to remove it next week, but I can cancel if necessary.

More info. I've been pretty slack and haven't had a checkup in a couple of years. I've never used this dentist before: got a slightly lukewarm recommendation from someone.

I think I have an operculum, a partially erupted wisdom tooth. Is this okay?

GilloD — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:17:29 -0800

I've got a wisdom tooth partly in. While it's not causing me discomfort, it smells weird and I think I've found the medical name for it: operculum. Suggestions? Experiences? More inside. I've never had a problem with my wisdom teeth. My dentist has said that it looks like they should come in fine. Over the last couple of years there's been some mild discomfort but nothing severe. None of teeth are all the way in yet, but last week my lower right wisdom tooth starting making a go for it. After a few days of general soreness I was left with a tooth maybe halfway out, horizontally. The other part of the tooth is still under the gum.

Wikipedia lends this: "Sometimes the wisdom tooth fails to erupt completely through the gum bed and the gum at the back of the wisdom tooth extends over the biting surface, forming a soft tissue flap or lid around the tooth called an operculum. Teeth covered by an operculum can be difficult to clean with a toothbrush. Additional cleaning techniques can include using a needle-less plastic syringe to vigorously wash the tooth with moderately pressured water or to softly wash it with hydrogen peroxide.

However, debris and bacteria can easily accumulate under an operculum, which may cause pericoronitis, a common infection problem in young adults "

That sounds an awful lot like my case. If I rub my finger on the area and sniff my finger (That sounds gross.) it smells a lot like a tonsil stone; That is, decay and general bad odor. As a result I've taken to becoming a maniac brusher and a mouthwash swiller, as well a twice daily salt water swisher. Is this enough? For what it's worth, the odor subsides for a few hours after, uh, sanitizing. The tooth and the gum area around it are fine. There's no redness, soreness or any sign than anything is up other than that gross smell.

Also, this one is a bit out there, but I caught a nasty cold just after. Are the two related?

My Q: Any Mefi-ites had this problem? Is it enough to just wait for the tooth to come through? I have no insurance, so even if I could afford the visit, extraction would very likely be outside my means. Stories, references and suggestions are much appreciated!

Tips for recovery from tooth extraction?

Dreama — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 04:57:00 -0800

Care to share your tips for coping post-tooth removal? After efforts to avoid this end have failed I am (at age 39!!) about to have my upper wisdom teeth and, unfortunately, the molars in front of each, removed in two separate procedures (today and three weeks from today) in order to avoid general anesthesia/sedation problems. I'm pretty okay about the extractions themselves because I know that they're more uncomfortable than painful, I numb up well and feel only pressure. I am more concerned about the recovery.

I've had an extraction before, but I was travelling and running around and preoccupied with numerous other things besides my mouth, so I don't really remember what I did. I had no pain (just an achey jaw) and no dry sockets, infection, but the travelling option isn't open this time, so I'm trying to get a mental picture of what to expect and how to best spend the first 48 hours or so in order to minimize problems and stay as productive as possible since I have things to do and can't completely lay about like a queen, sucking up sympathy for my holey head.

Experiences, tips, advice, things my dentist may not tell me...