Dental Saga part 5

[drwex]

Again no gross details, just a bit of WTF.

Yesterday, while I was packing up to go to the dentist, I got a message saying the dentist didn't think I was healed enough to do the imprint for the final crown and they wanted to postpone my appointment another two weeks.

Now if you've been around me you'd know I've been in some fair amount of pain the last little while. My visit with the surgeon last week (and keep in mind it was she who pronounced me healed and made this appointment) indicated that my pain was not from the surgery but from the ill-fitting temp crown. I have a lot of jaw pain, muscular pain on that side, and sometimes spectacular shooting pain in my left ear. Fortunately once I was 10 days past surgery I could take aspirin/NSAIDS again so I could get enough relief to sleep more than 4-5 hours, but still there's no way I was going to live with that thing for another two weeks.

After some exchange of words (in which I'm proud to say I kept my temper and did not take it out on the desk woman who after all had not made the decision to postpone) I went in anyway. And all went as planned - they took the new impression and I have a new temp crown that fits much better. My jaw is still sore and I'm still not chewing on that side, but it's a vast improvement.

If anyone has any ideas how to relax a persistent muscle cramp in the jaw I'd love to hear about them - that's my major source of pain now.

Comments

Ugh but yay?

[taura-g.livejournal.com]

Well, I am glad you have a new better fitting temp crown.

I would ping barodar as he has done work on my face and jaw in the past to great effect and probably can give suggestions of non-massage methods for help too.

Re: Ugh but yay?

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

That's better than my suggestion. My favorite muscle relaxant is scotch. :)

Re: Ugh but yay?

[asciikitty.livejournal.com]

this what i was going to say. When I have jaw pain from clenching my teeth, I drink more heavily. It's not ideal, but it helps.

Re: Ugh but yay?

[drwex]

Hmm, i was thinking of something more topical than systemic. My usual solution is to soak in the hot tub but that's not highly practical for jaw.

Re: Ugh but yay?

[asciikitty.livejournal.com]

throw a cup of rice into an old sock without any holes, tie the top of the sock together, and microwave for ~2 minutes. Hold against jaw. Supplement with hot water (with or without tea, lemon, alcohol, sweetener) to drink.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear that your detail woes are ongoing.

I'd recommend a heating pad and massage. Also make sure you're getting enough calcium and potassium.

*hug*