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samantha1982 · Jun 20, 2009, 05:45 AM

Hi I had 2 wisdom teeth removed 2 days ago one of the teeth were impacted and I've had stitches my mouth was bleeding on the 1st day but its near enough stopped now I'm just getting the occasional taste of it now and the pain have subsided quite a lot but I was just wondering is the BAD breath normal it smells like rotting flesh and my tongue is a funny colour I am brushing my teeth but obviously not as well as normal I hope someone can't help as I'm worried I might have dry socket or some kind of infection
The pills I am taking are: CEFALEXIN
DICLOFENAC
CODEINE PHOSPHATE
PLEASE HELP x

Catsmine · Jun 20, 2009, 05:56 AM

Go online and read about the side effects of the meds you are taking. I believe one of the side effects of cephalosporin antibiotics is halitosis. It's been a long time since I checked so double check for yourself.

samantha1982 · Jun 20, 2009, 06:09 AM

Hi I checked and I couldn't see bad breath as a side affect

thewiseoldwoman · Jun 20, 2009, 06:25 AM

The bad breath is normal. Don't clean your mouth too vigorously or you will get dry socket. You don't want to distrub the clots that have filled the holes where the teeth were removed. Those also cause some bad breath and bad taste in your mouth, but, if you remove them or dislodge them with cleaning you will end up with dry socket which is very painful and will take much longer to heal.

flossie · Jun 20, 2009, 08:25 AM

Be sure you are gently rinsing with warm salt water. You should be brushing your tongue every day too. The tongue harbours all kinds of odour causing bacteria.

thewiseoldwoman · Jun 20, 2009, 11:30 AM

If you are still having concerns on Monday, or you develop symptoms of dry socket (which include bad breath), such as very painful, call your dentist or the doctor who did this procedure. You have to be VERY gentle not to dislodge the clots that form in the sockets.

nikosmom · Jun 20, 2009, 05:44 PM

If you had a dry socket you'd be in PAIN. Are you following your doctor's post-op orders? (No smoking, no drinking with a straw, and rinsing gently with warm salt water).

As Flossie suggested, be sure to brush your tongue because LOTS of bacteria hide there and cause bad breath. If you've had any dairy products this will make it worse because the bacteria will feed on the yeast in the dairy. It's unlikely that'd you have an infection because that's what the Cefalexin is for; an antibiotic.

flossie · Jun 20, 2009, 06:37 PM

Thanks for the backup Nikosmom!