WTF...another sleepless night of agonizing pain? I had a wisdom tooth pulled on Tuesday, went to work on Wednesday with only a little discomfort but by that evening I was in some serious pain. I searched around in my place for ANYTHING that would reduce the freaking PAIN. Ended up taking some Ibuprufen and a couple sleeping pills (zorpiclone), hoping that would allow me to at least get a couple hours sleep. NO CHANCE. With about 3 minutes of googling I knew the problem was "dry socket".

So, at 11:30, I pulled me wife out of bed and asked her to come to the hospital with me. All I wanted was some ASS KICKING PAIN KILLERS. Oxycodone or something? Maybe? Something that works for serious pain.

By this time the two sleeping pills were kicking in and I was looking like some kind of drunken sailor with a "cannon ball to the face" injury. Stumbling, walking into walls, all sorts of crazy shite. We go to the closest hospital, dental department is not open. I don't want to see a freaking dentist! I want some PAIN KILLERS. NO. Second Hospital, dental department is open but not helping. This is all a blur and I can only remember a few details...but again...left empty handed. Got home at 3:00 or so and (somehow) fell straight asleep (thank god).

Woke up today....PAIN. Call work....ain't coming in ..... and I'm off to see the dentist again. Explain (what I am almost certain) the problem is...Dry socket. He doesn't seem to "get it". He puts some clove oil in and that was that. I ask for a prescription pain killer....he writes something up and when I get to the pharmacy down stairs, it turns out to be Tylenol (cold and flu). WTF?

The pain was gone because of the clove oil but I knew it'd be back. Sure enough tonight I'm freaking dying....CRAZY PAIN. Whose dick do I need to suck to get some, "knock you on your ass" narcotics? My wife has given up on helping me (she didn't really help in the first place). Do i really need to go to some swanky expat hospital and pay 100 times more money to get some kind of pain killer?

I guess I'll be back at the dentist tomorrow morning (after another sleepless night) but at this rate I'm not sure I'll be pain free anytime soon.

Any advice for a hurting dude?

"The pain from alveolar osteitis usually lasts for 24–72 hours. There is no real treatment for dry socket — it is a self-limiting condition that will improve and disappear with time — but certain interventions can significantly decrease pain during an episode of dry socket. These interventions usually consists of a gentle rinsing of the inflamed socket followed by the direct placement within the socket of some type of sedative dressing, which soothes the inflamed bone for a period of time and promotes tissue growth. This is usually done without anesthesia.[4] The active ingredients in these sedative dressings usually include natural substances like zinc oxide, eugenol, and oil of cloves. It is usually necessary to have this done for two or three consecutive days, although occasionally it can take longer. Because true dry socket pain is so intense, additional analgesics are sometimes prescribed." (wiki)

Did he give you the bottle with clove oil? I think you should get some.

Continue cooling your cheek. (Don't forget to wrap a humid towel around the thermal pack)

Put clove oil on the wound.

Rinse your mouth with disinfectant herbal tea several times a day. I don't know what they use in China but the stuff I use is sage tea. This stuff is really cool. (could borrow you some)

Tylenol is also a pain killer (-> paracetamol)

Try to concentrate on the pain and breathe it away. May sound stupid but it can work (own experience). Concentrate on the spot where the pain comes from and then start concentrating on intake of breath, exhalation, intake of breath etc.


And please, go to a real dentist and let him take a look at the wound

Thanks, Medea. Good advice!

Meditation is my salvation...

Your dentist should have given you a prescription for some pain killers!! wtf?
I"d follow Medea's advice as well as going to another dentist-or better yet an oral surgeon if they exist here.

I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed at once..no pain afterward, no swelling, no dry socket -nothing...but he still did give me a prescription for some kick ass pain killers. Albeit this was in Washington DC and he was an oral surgeon not a dentist.

Ask your local pharmacy for Ultram or Tramadol ... many nations do not require a prescription for this very potent synthetic opioid -- perhaps no prescription in China...donnow.

Cheers guys...Feeling pain free (for now). Had a rough couple days though...

Didn't end up finding anything...probably for the best as I don't think I'll need them now.

Good to know for next time though...(knock on wood).

LifeMage wrote:Cheers guys...Feeling pain free (for now).

Good to hear

I had the same problem 5 years ago when a dentist took one of my wisdow tooth.
The pain after that was so that I went back there and he gave me a real pain killer. It helped a few minutes later, and I needed it for a couple of days.
By the way, I went to Toshunikai, toshunkinkai (never know how to write it!), ah, the japanese one!
And I hadnt pay so much for the pain killer there (yes, they had it there and sold it to me).

You can't get anything over the counter with Codeine in it which is the "ass kicking" pain killer that would have taken the edge off your pain. All pain killers over the counter are mild and you need a doctors prescription for codeine. Mind you if you needed anti-biotics you could have got a truck load at your pharmacy no questions asked.

Glad to hear the gum has calmed down. Sounded like sheer HELL.

Adrienne