Originally Posted by boogagirl

Hello, I'm Nikki and new here so please forgive me if I post in the wrong place etc.

I had a bottom molar extracted just over 3 weeks ago which was a tough cookie to get out. I was left in a lot of pain, 3 return visits, a bit of tooth left behind and I finally though last week was the tipping point and things were healing nicely. I noticed a few days ago the gum area over the extraction site seems 'high'; this then developed into a fleshy lump which was higher than its neighbouring teeth. I started to feel a throbbing and mild stabbing pain in my cheekbone today so I got an appointment at my dentist who diagnosed an infection and put me on a course of antibiotics for 5 days. There is pus in the lump which can be manipulated out which he did but now it seems full again.

I am a little concerned as I have had teeth out previously (2 for a brace as a teenager and one upper wisdom) with no trouble at all. I would like to know why it has become infected? Is it normal for the gum or tissue to appear to have grown over the extraction site so quickly as only 11 days ago I had a the last irrigation and packing. Will the antibiotics work or do you think there is something underlying that needs to be addressed? I had an xray a week after extraction which revealed the tooth fragment but nothing else. I will be honest in saying I have not really brushed the extraction area as it was so tender; could this have caused the infection. I also stopped rinsing after things felt better around 11 days ago.

Thanks in advance for your help