Hi, new here and saw this forum so decided to try it. My husband recently had all of his teeth extracted a week and 2 days ago because of severe gum disease. and bone loss. A dentist and peridontist agreed. This has been a traumatic experience for him since he had to get dentures at a young age. The first 3 days were pretty normal in the fact of having swollen gums and some pain. It was getting better but then he yawned one night and he said something "popped" and it started hurting again. He went back to the dentist and they just told him it was alot of blood bruises and to put heat on it to loosen up the blood and gave him more pain pills and antibiotics. He is still in lots of pain and do not know what to do to help him. He said his head hurts and there is a hard knot under his chin and he is swollen under the chin. This had been a nightmare for him, missing work, and now our daughter is getting married this weekend. Any advice? Does this sound normal?

Hi LVincent,

I think he should see his dentist asap or an oral surgeon to evaluate the swelling under his chin. Having several teeth removed at one time is a lot for the person and their mouth to go through. But in most cases, the mouth looks pretty good by the second week in comparison to the first week and there should not be any new swelling anywhere.

Is he wearing immediate dentures? Is he rinsing with warm salt water several times a day?

Sometimes certain medical conditions (heart or diabetes) and/or medications can affect the healing of oral surgery. Does he fit into either of those categories?

Bryanna

Thanks so much. No I don't feel like he has any heart issues and he is not diabetic. We went for the same reason on Friday and they just said he had blood bruising. Today not a good day at all. Says his head is hurting and cannot wear his dentures very long and he is very swollen under his chin. Yes he did get the immediate dentures and he will have them for 6 months until he gets his permanent ones. I don't know what to do. I will try and call an oral surgeon tomorrow and see if he can get in this week. The problem is, our daughter is getting married this weekend out of town. Of course, the dentist told him he would be better in 3 days so that's why he decided to go ahead and do it but now it has been 8 days and no relief. Do you think he should see a general practitioner? His mother is pushing for that but I'm thinking he should go back to the dentist or an oral surgeon better.

Thanks so much for replying. He is having a very bad day today. He is saying his head hurts and he is still swollen under his chin. As far as I know he doesn't have any heart issues and I know he is not diabetic. He did get immediate dentures and will get his permanent ones in 6 months. We were just at the dentist on Friday and they said he has blood bruising. I keep thinking he will get better each day but he doesn't. Our daughter is getting married this weekend out of town. I am going to see if he will go back to the dentist or consult an oral surgeon. His mom wants him to go see a general practitioner but I don't know if he will be able to help or not. Just really at my wits end and I know he is suffering.

Hi LVincent,

Just FYI in case you are not aware ... I am in the dental field for many years. So I can answer your questions.

First of all, whoever told you he would be okay in 3 days was not being truthful with you. The first "week" is usually a bit difficult as there is swelling, bruising and a lot of soreness. However, the second week things start to improve fairly quickly providing there are no complications. The swelling under his chin is a concern and needs to be evaluated asap.

An oral surgeon can tell you if he is healing normally and what that swelling is from. A general dentist is the one who will make the adjustments to the dentures to make them more comfortable during the healing phase. So he really should be seen by both.

I'm hoping an oral surgeon did the extractions and not a general dentist. For the simple reason that you stated your husband had periodontal disease and bone loss which means his situation was complicated due to infection and cases like this really should be treated by a specialist to assure that the surgery was done thoroughly.

I am sorry he is so miserable. He really needs to be seen by the surgeon and the general dentist for reasons that I have stated above.

I wish there was something I could recommend he do to feel better..... but he needs to be seen to determine the extent of the problem.

Please keep us posted.
Bryanna