Can someone please offer some thoughts on what's happening with my extraction?
I have never had an extraction prior to this and have no immune issues. I am vegan and on no medication. I don't know how/why I would be having these complications unless my diet is related--though I think it's generally healthy and well-rounded.

I had an extraction/bone-graft in the same day (2 weeks ago) and had trouble right away. On the 3rd day, pain started to get worse and it started to smell bad. I wasn't eating soft foods, however. I think it was food and plaque build-up in the area, and maybe this led to an infection. The extraction was because of a failed root canal and the dentist said there was probably a low-grade infection, though I don't recall my dentist doing any cleaning in the socket, so I don't know if he left behind some infection or what. At any rate, the smell/taste was very frustrating, as I couldn't clean it. He didn't inform me until the 5th day that I should be doing salt-water rinses.

The pain got worse and the gums around the extraction have been swollen since the 4th or 5th day. Periodically, the area gets more swollen and hot, so I'm fairly sure there's infection going on. I removed the stitches myself on the 7th day because they seemed to be trapping food and plaque and were cutting into my swollen gums and I felt like they were delaying the healing process. Maybe this was a bad idea, but the smell has gotten MUCH better since then.

However, the area is VERY red and raw and bleeds when anything touches it. I'm pretty sure the infection is still active and I don't know if it's the graft or if antibiotics will heal it or if I should have my dentist curette the area or what. I try to be as natural as possible and avoid antibiotics when possible. I've been eating about 5-6 cloves of raw garlic for the last week and putting garlic on the extraction site for about 10 minutes a day, hoping its antibiotic properties will help heal things.

I'm so frustrated because I've never had an extraction or surgery of any kind, and I hate being so affected by this! I am worried I'm never going to get over this infection and I don't want to do more damage to my poor mouth. All of the molars on that side of my face are sore and the area throbs a lot. Today, my cheek muscle has been twitching a lot, though I have to admit I do sort of push on the area a lot. It drives me nuts that it's so painful.

It feels a lot like it did when I needed the original root canal--very tender. The roof of my mouth is also very very tender and swollen around that site.
I can't stand this, and I don't know if I'm making it worse by the garlic (also, I have been putting oregano oil on it, as well) or if this is normal or what. I've read that antibiotics can't heal a bone graft infection, and I'm afraid that's what this is. The site is red and raw with the exception of a big splotch of yellow in the middle, which may be collagen, I think? Or infection? I have no idea what the **** is happening, but I'm disturbed.

It sort of looks porous when I look at it in the mirror. Is it possible my body is rejecting the graft? I wouldn't put it past my body to pull some kind of crap like that.