After completing my 5-day course of antibiotics last Sunday, I ended up contacting my dental practice the following day to express concerns. In addition to earache, I was continuing to experience pain inside my mouth, which over-the-counter pain relief was doing nothing to ease. From my perspective, I felt the only thing the antibiotics had done was rid me of a foul taste in my mouth, caused by my "small" post-extraction dental infection. I was offered an emergency appointment for a couple of days later (1st November).
The dentist had a good look inside my mouth and said there was a tiny area of my gum that hadn't quite healed, which was exposing bare bone. He felt the exposed bone, along with post-extraction bruising was what was causing my pain. The solution was to pack the unhealed area of my gum with medicated 'dry socket' paste. Not particularly pleasant because the paste contains eugenol (found in clove oil), and tastes utterly revolting in my opinion.
In addition to acting as an anaesthetic, eugenol has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Having had a dry socket on at least one occasion in the past, my experience of dry socket paste is that it initially caused a mild stinging sensation, followed by a fairly rapid easing of pain. Unfortunately, this was not my experience on Wednesday.
Currently, I am feeling rather frustrated and weary. Whilst I'm not in agony, the pain I'm experiencing is constant and proving impossible to distract myself from. It's exhausting, both physically and mentally. Come Monday, I think I'll be contacting my dental practice again to book another emergency appointment. Although it has only been just over a fortnight since the extractions were done, I'm thoroughly fed up with the fact that my dental pain doesn't appear to be easing and that OTC pain-relieving medication is proving to be ineffective.
For the record, I'm not after sympathy or dental advice, I just needed to let off steam and have a good old moan.
