Hi this started about a month ago. I had a toothache went to the dentist ended up having four fillings. Two to start then the tooth behind started aching so did two more.
This is on the lower right jaw. The second tooth from the back would not freeze to have the filling done so they kept shooting it with freezing sorry I don't know the true name but it is like a bullet the dentist puts the freezing directly into the tooth. It took a few shots to get the filling done this type of freezing does not last long and so needs to be repeated often.
I had the filling about a wk and it would not stop hurting ear jaw everything hurt back I went and booked a root canal for the next day. Problem is the tooth would not freeze. This was a different dentist at the same office this one said she was doing the bullet method but it did not feel the same to me as there was no pop or jolt like there had been previously. She must have given me 10 or 12 shots it just would not freeze she may as well have been giving me shots of water. Some places were freezing minimally none of these places were where we wanted the freezing to be. Left side of my temple for instance back of my head felt weird but the tooth did not freeze. She tried to drill it several times I could not stand it and even her putting the filling back killed me. She sent me to a surgeon who removed the tooth under sedation. That went great it was five days ago. I was given pain killers which are almost gone but the pain is not gone and the gum on the inside of my mouth had a white spot on it since the tooth was taken out it is getting bigger. I called the surgeon only to learn he is on holidays for a wk they will not give me any more pain meds and there is nobody to look at my tooth. They suggested I go back to my dentist if it did not settle in a couple of days and to rinse it with salt water in the syringe starting yesterday tho it was a day earlier than the paper instructions stated. I started the syringing but went to the dentist anyway the same day. He says the white bit which is getting bigger with my syringing is bone??? he was very busy and did not elaborate on this in any way. I do get the impression he is tired of seeing me. Problem is the white bit is getting bigger and bigger I will be out of pain pills today. I am thinking if this keeps going like it is I am going to have a dry socket which I hear if painful but doubt it could get much more painful than it has been.
So what is the next step go to the hospital emergency is all I can think of doing.
If there is anyone out there with any insight into this issue please add your thoughts.
ps I had an accident 20+ years ago where I had multiple fractures of my jaw some simple some compounded this all healed well enough. Freezing for years with a different dentist was never an issue. Not sure if this has anything to do with this new problem or not just adding for long shot sake.

Hi btdt,

For those reading this and wondering what freezing is..... Freezing is just another term for "anesthetic".

The white spot at the site of the extraction may be a bony fragment which may or may not heal on it's own.... or it could be that the jawbone is actually exposed. If you are in alot of pain, not just achey or uncomfortable, then you need to be seen by another dentist to determine if you have a dry socket. If there is no one for you to go to, then your only other option is the hospital.

The normal time frame for pain after a single tooth extraction is about 2-3 days. If constant pain persists after that time or gets worse, then that is not normal and the site needs to be evaluated. It is important to heal properly or you could end up with an infection in the bone.

Please keep us posted on how you are doing.

Bryanna

I was all set to go to the hosp on the 6th day after the extraction the pain pills were gone no refills. I took two advil (ibuprophen) rubbed my face ear neck head everything with a deep cold rub and went off to bed again at 5am. I woke there was NO pain for about 6 hours this is the first real sleep I had all wk. I called the surgeon office the next day as the pain was back tho it seemed not as intense most of the time. I told her there seems to be an abscess on the originally exposed bit of bone. I think it is my jaw bone but of course am not sure. She told me to wash it with a toothbrush and salt water and to syringe it with salt water. The dentist had pooped that small infection pocket when I seen him Monday it took a couple day to come back. I did do as she said and to my amazement it did not hurt much. I am set to leave on a long wkend in the Canadian woods tho it is a family event that I really would hate to miss I am just not sure if I should attempt this. Once I get there it is not so easy to leave. The small infection pocket comes back much faster in just one day pain all day today not as severe but I also don't feel so well the last few days no appetite very fatigued. It hurt all day but this evening think maybe I am turning the corner it is just hard to tell as it gets a bit better then goes bad again.
The part of the jaw where this tooth is was once free floating as it was broke on either side of this site I know this side of my jaw did not heal well from an old fracture. I think this bit of jaw bone between these two fractures has turned in towards the inside of my mouth just a bit.
I am so curious as to why this tooth would not freeze was it maybe infected and did not show on xray? or some other reason? I had two root canals at this same dentist last year and neither of them froze completely I went thru it somehow crying most of the time. I told him this time if it happened again I was getting a new dentist. Tho this office it is a different dentist all the time as they are huge.
Four years ago I was quite ill from I think an antidepressant Effexor xr I quit taking it cold turkey and went thru very bad withdrawal. I have learned that these type of drugs affect you bones and some people on the internet think they affect your teeth too. I am curious if you have heard of this type of medication affecting teeth?
If this has nothing to do with it could you tell me what causes teeth not to freeze on a continual basis?
What can I do to be proactive in the future I am getting afraid to go to the dentist. My last extraction last year did not heal for three months. ???

Going to the dentist today.
The dental surgeons office has advised him to cut away a piece of the jaw bone that is exposed and has been since the day the tooth was removed. I was to the dentist on Monday all he said was that is bone. This office has different type of dentists I think some do root canals some don't the one I am seeing today did two root canals on me last year on teeth that would not completely freeze so we have a bad history.
Wish me luck.
There will be no vacation for me in the Canadian wilderness one must be fit to such things and I sadly am not. Been on a heating pad days now there is no hydro there for my heating pad or I might think about it. Happy long wkend to all.
I will be home with the heating pad

I am not feeling well stomach issues the runs aching tired.... but can't sleep.

It was a different dentist today one that does the root canals. He took a look did a poke blew in some air said it was much to sensitive to work on gave me 500mg of penicillin and sent me on my way. He told me not to touch it with my tongue I told him I have not touched once while awake with my tongue but did mention the tooth bushing the site. He looked at me like I had two heads said why told him I had been advised to do this by the surgeons office. Still looked at me the same way and said it made no sense to him. The area was infected and extremely irritated to bother it more was "not sensible" his words. So who do I listen to? It would of course be easy to do as he says but am I hindering or helping the healing? It sure is tricky when I get conflicting advise. Has anyone else had this? What did you do?
Anyone?

Hi btdt,

Well by now I hope you are feeling better. When the dentist tells you not to brush a surgical site, it is because the area is very inflammed and needs to calm down and/or he doesn't want the area disturbed just yet. However, it is still a good idea to rinse with warm salt water to help keep the area clean. Did he instruct you to do that? How are things going at this point?

Bryanna

I also do hope that you are feeling better by now. I had a tooth extraction about three weeks ago, two teeth.

Here in Germany we usually get things like "Paroex gum" for gently rinsing the mouth after the extraction (a couple of hours later). Sage tea is also perfect. Never touch the fresh wound and do not rinse vigorously). The pain should be gone after a couple of days.

I have to admit that I never would go on a holiday - not to speak of woods with no doctor around - with such wounds and inflammations. I also skipped our summer holidays for fear that something bad might happen.

All the best to you.

KR
Monica

I have been rinsing with salt water all along and still am. I finished the first bottle of antibiotics feelt not too bad could not stop the max dose of ibuprophen as there is still pain. Finished those drugs on wed by sat the headache and diareah were back so was the head ache despite the ibuprophen so I went to the clinic the doctor there gave me more of the same antibiotic as it seem to work the fist time just was not long enough I guess. There is even more jaw bone exposed at this point I have not been back to the dentist or the dental surgeon. At this point I think that tooth was infected possibly since the first filling on June 30 and that would explain it not freezing for the root canal attempt in July. The wk after the tooth came out I was just plain sick no appetite headache was constant with or without pain pills such at t#3 or perkacet... after 4days on antibiotics I felt better when I stopped taking them I was sick a few days later.
I am currently on 500mg of amoxacillan have it for 10 days this time last time it was 7 days. so I should be done them next wk I am not going to bother with any more dentists until I finish these meds as I am afraid what they will do to me.
I am not happy with the care I received seems to me they should have sought out the reason the tooth was so painful and would not freeze. A preventative antibiotic would have spared me this long drawn out situation. The site seems to be healing just very slowly the hole itself I mean the bone as I said above is more and more exposed every wk.
Considering I had two dentists working on this issue do you not think one of them should have suspected an infection? They told me themselves there could be things going on that would not show on xray immediately as there was nothing on the xray according to both of them... just a swollen mouth and tons of pain.

So now it is October while the pain in my tooth area is not as bad it is not gone. Sleep is becoming a huge issue as lack of it is causing me to be not happy. Update at the end of Aug a piece of bone the length of my tooth just came out on it's own. I thought good now it will finally heal. The extraction site did close but the pain did not go away just lessened. It is sensitive to hot and cold I still cannot stand anything in that area of my mouth. I went back to see the oral surgeon last wk and he took another xray said the bone is not filling in. He had no other suggestions other than to maybe come back in 6 months. I have been mulling this over for a wk today called the original dentist who could see me next Friday I nixed that idea as I figure why bother and told them I want a referral to another dental surgeon for a second opinion. I got that grudgingly the other surgeon has no appointments until November.
I am not sure what I am up against here but do wonder why this is such an issue. I talked to the dentist today on the phone told him the entire story again. He said the original dental work filling of four teeth (when they forgot to add the metal mould thing till after the filling had partially hardened) was not an issue. At the time of the original fillings that tooth would not take normal freezing and he had to keep returning to the room and doing a shot type freezing into the tooth. When they attempted a root canal on that same tooth a couple wks later that dentist tried to do that shot freezing it did not feel the same and it did not work. She tried a dozen times to freeze it and nothing on the inside would take the freezing this is where the bone was that eventually worked its way out.
When they took the xray last wk I asked if they would be able to see if there was another piece of bone left in there they said it would be hard to find because it would be bone on bone and may not show up.
Today I am thinking maybe I should try my doctor and see if she could get a cat scan of this area. This is four months I can't believe it. I feel like they are not believing me maybe because I wait so long in between visits and complaining. I have been complaining a lot to the receptionist at the dental surgeon she keeps telling me it should settle down soon. Also they give not appointments for follow up so you have to go there between 8-10:30 am and wait. The waiting room has no air I seem to get a head ache as soon as I walk in... I have had two consults after the extraction and both times waited the 2hours plus.. really a deterrent when they don't do anything anyway just offer more pain pills which make me feel weird and sick and I don't want.
I am beyond myself with this now I am thinking I may have better luck with my gp and a cat scan.
Does anyone here have any advice on how to proceed with this or suggestion of what could be causing the ongoing issues?