Originally Posted by Memphis13

Hello Bryanna, I wanted to post an update, now almost 4 weeks after my wisdom teeth extractions. The pain of my extraction sites has lessened tremendously and the gums have healed over the exposed bone on the right side. However, I have still been experiencing considerable jaw pain. Particularly on the right side, it is tender to the touch on the outside of my teeth, I cannot open my mouth wide, and the pain seems to be both in the muscle/tendons and in the bone. It seems to feel somewhat better in the morning and worsens as the day goes on. By evening my jaw is throbbing and I have been having horrible headaches and pain in that ear. My lower molars are sensitive to cold and hurt to chew or bite down. If I chew or talk too much throughout the day the nightly pain is worse. I finally saw an oral surgeon in the same office I had the extractions and he recommended I wear a night guard, suggesting the pain is due to me clenching my teeth at night.
By strange coincidence, I ran into the resident who assisted with my surgery while at college. Before I even told her of my difficult recovery she told me she felt so bad for me that day because the doctor was too rushed and rough on me. She told me that the dentist has lawsuits out against her and she does shoddy work. She asked about me getting my stitches out and was surprised that they fell out, because the dentist used silk stitches that would have had to be removed. This made me think back to the surgery and that sharp intense pain I felt when she first attempted to pull the lower right wisdom tooth. I had thought that she maybe forgot to numb me, but I realize now that she had cut opened my gums and drilled through the jaw bone without me feeling any sensation. I felt the pain only when she pulled the tooth and the site was immediately throbbing afterward, through the novacaine. And that is where I have had the most pain and trouble through my recovery and continue to have pain there now almost a month later. So I have become concerned again that some injury occurred during the extraction.. maybe a small fracture or injury to the joint? I also feel that the dentist may have realized this and deliberately misled or misinformed me, due to some strange behavior from her at my follow-ups.
Today I picked up copies of all my x-rays and I have an appointment on Monday with a private oral surgeon. I just requested a consultation for jaw pain and didn't give any more details over the phone. Hopefully I will get a thorough examination and can finally put my mind at ease as to whether or not what I am going through is normal. I am attaching before and after panorama x-rays... I haven't spotted anything on them myself but I also don't know what to look for. The side that is bothering me is the one with a filling that shows on the x-ray. If you want to look at them or give me any more feedback/advice it would be much appreciated! Thanks Bryanna