The surgeon said it looks okay. I asked how I would know if it was getting infected and he didn't really have an answer for me. Joked that wishes he could hook people up to a computer to tell--what??

Anyway the pain is less now, so that's a good sign I think.

On the other side I have what he thinks is an infected root(has pain too) Would antibiotics be enough to kick that, or does another tooth have to go. He said I'd have to talk to my dentist about that. Your opinion?

thanks, diana

Hi Diana,

I'm glad to hear that your extraction site is healing well and feeling better!

With regard to the other side of your mouth with the "infected root".... what that actually means is that the inside of the tooth and at least the surrounding bone is infected. I'm sorry but antibiotics will not cure the infection, nor will a root canal or an apicoectomy simply because the infection has proliferated into the tiny canals within the tooth. These canals are not accessible by any means. So realistically, you are dealing with a chronic infection irrelevant of what dental treatment you have done to "retain" the tooth.

Did your dentist tell you about this other tooth or was this a surprise?

Bryanna

An unpleasant surprise. In my surgical consult I mentioned that I wasn't sure how I was going to chew since a tooth on the opposite side was even more painful. He said that's because there's some infection there. My dentist didn't pick it up and i'm not sure she's in agreement with him. Is there a better way to tell than the cone bean x-ray?

diana

Hi Diana,

If the surgeon says there's infection in the jaw, then that's what I would believe over your general dentist. Unfortunately, many general dentists are not always accurate on picking up radiographic pathology thus frequently missing or misdiagnosing a dental infection. I know, this sounds stupid... but I've seen it happen too frequently to discount it.

The surgeon tends to be more accurate in diagnosing radiographic pathology because his extensive education covered this topic far greater than the general residency program. It is also what he sees and treats every day.

Sometimes people post an xray here for me to view. If you wanted to do that, I would be glad to take a look and may be able to explain what the surgeon is diagnosing. Just make sure none of your personal information is on the film.

Bryanna

I wish I could post the cone beam here, but my computer won't even open it up.

It's been almost 2 weeks now, am still having symptoms of right(surgery) side nasal and forehead sinus' feel inflamed(feel congested but aren't), sometimes traveling up to my head, and right sore throat. Could I be battling an infection? How would I know if it's a sinus infection or a jaw infection? Could I be rejecting the bone graft? Could I still be reacting to the ozone treatment of the jaw? Still feeling unwell too(more than usual with the lyme/ms).

Sorry I have so many questions. This is all so complicated.

diana

Hi Diana,

The infected tooth that was removed as well as the surgery and bone grafting are all contributing factors to what you are feeling now. Once a tooth is infected, the surrounding bone and tissue become inflamed. The longer the infection is present the more necrotic the bone becomes and it can take awhile for everything to calm down after the tooth is removed. Add to that the new graft material and your asking your body to recover and heal at the same time. Having your immune system compromised during all of this can slow down the process. The sinus/forehead pain can be from inflammation or there could be an infection brewing. That is something that would need to be evaluated clinically.

What are some things you are doing to help with the healing? Supplements... probiotics ... nutrition.... keeping well hydrated with lots of good water??

What are you rinsing with? Avoid any mouthwash that contains alcohol, dyes or preservatives because it will decrease the flow of saliva. Salt water rinsing is really ideal after oral surgery.

Did the dentist take a single xray of that hurting tooth?

Bryanna

whew, bad sinus day yesterday but not as bad today. I think i'm eating pretty well, can only chew soft foods still. Doing smoothies/juices too. Taking probiotics once a day. Rinsing few times a day with warm salt water. I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see as long as it's tolerable, again, calmer today.

They did a since x-ray of the tooth that was removed but not of the more painful one on the other side. That was picked up on the cone beam.

Just want to say how much I appreciate all the info/support you have given me. My dentist is a poor communicator and if I didn't get the advice from you my stress would be much worse, so thanks again.

diana

Hi Diana,

Glad to hear that you are feeling a bit better.... hopefully things will improve with each day.

Thank you for the kinds words... much appreciated =)
Dentists/doctors can be very bad communicators and quite often they do not cover enough of the particulars of the problem or the treatment or the aftercare as they really should. I think it's a good idea to have a patient care counselor present in the office who is knowledgeable enough to discuss all of these things with the patient. Then the patient is better informed, less worried and knows what to expect. Also when something of concern does occur they have someone to talk to.

I'm here as often as possible.... feel free to reach out... and if I can, I will help!

Hope today has been a good day for you!!

Bryanna

I'm back with an update. Still having what feels like inflammation in my nasal and forehead sinuses and the feeling often moves onto my scalp and gives me a headache.

Yesterday I got intermittent pain in what felt like my ear drum on that side. It's been 6 weeks, I'm concerned that it is infected. How will I know?, do I contact the surgeon or a dentist, or my doctor?

If infected do they need to clean it out or can I just try clindamycin or more ozone. I really hoped it would help to remove an infected tooth, instead it has just caused more trouble.

Oh well, need to resolve it somehow...

thanks, diana

Hi diana,

I'm sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with this. I know you feel discouraged but try to look at it from a positive perspective in that it really was best to remove that infected tooth. There is a very good chance that these on going problems are related to having the root canal which caused several things to occur including the infection to spread to the jaw. Anatomically, an infection in the jawbone creates a slue of things to occur in the skeletal structure surrounding the infected tooth. It can become very complicated but let's just say one area is connected to another and another.......

What you are experiencing is frequently the aftermath of keeping an infected tooth instead of removing it. Of course your dentist didn't give you this information at that time, just like most other dentists with their patients. What you are experiencing occurs to some degree in most people with your original dental situation... either soon after the extraction or sometime down the road. I know this doesn't make it better...

One way to help diagnose an infection is to have some blood work done. A CBC w/differential and a C-Reactive Protein which is a marker for inflammation that often coincides with infection. Talk to your physician about other infection/inflammatory markers.

If there is an infection still in the jawbone at the surgical site, treatment would depend on clinical findings, your blood work, your xrays and your symptoms.

Again, I am so sorry you are dealing with this. Have you decided what to do about the infected tooth on the other side?

Bryanna