Ronnie Thomas Williamson, DDS

Hello. I'm sorry to hear about your dental health problem. I my opinion, if you have been diagnosed by a dentist as having an abscess, then he has determined if an antibiotic is warranted. If your condition has gotten worse and now you have swelling and a burning feeling spreading down into your neck and you airway feels like it's closing off, then contact him immediately or go to an urgent care/ emergency facility for evaluation for possible need to get on an antibiotic ! Manage pain with 600mg Motrin/500 mg Tylenol every 8 hours on the hour ( if you are able to take those).

Generally, taking the dentures out at bedtime, cleaning them, and allowing your gums to recover is good. However, some patients need to keep their dentures in in order to keep their airway open at night (or they go into sleep apnea because the back of their throat collapses). If you have a sleep partner, they may be able to tell you if you go into sleep apnea/struggle to catch your breath.

Your dentist should give you guidance after he determines how difficult your extraction was and if there is none graft and sutures. The whole goal is to prevent getting a dry socket (a situation where the blood clot is lost). However, brushing is good to keep the mouth clean--- but do not SPIT; let it drool over the sink when you are done brushing.

The procedure itself is normally done while the gums are anesthetized --- numbed up. Many of my patients also like to use the laughing gas. Afterwards, the dentist will give home care instructions and prescription for pain (if indicated).
Best wishes.

Ah, a student! Congratulations. There are many factors that can cause teeth to be temperature sensitive. Grinding and clenching (called bruxism) can make all teeth hypersensitive. Also, over-vigorous brushing can expose the root surfaces of the teeth by brushing away the thin gum tissue overlying them... or actually brushing away some tooth structure! A Sensodyne-type toothpaste is the most conservative thing you can use...along with switching to an Oral B or Sonicare type of toothbrush.

Thank you for your question. I commend you for your concern for your child's health and smile. Most times, the first permanent molars are erupted by age 6. The way that they bite together can give a good indication if braces will be needed (more severely misaligned jaws can be noticed even earlier.).

Dr. Ron Williamson