Hi there,

I really hope someone here can help. This might be long, sorry.

On 4th October I had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted under general anesthetic. I occasionally had pain in the two lower teeth, and both had cavities. It was very difficult to clean them properly as there was a flap of skin over both, but all teeth were fully erupted and not impacted. Top two came out easily, bottom 2 required the use of a drill. Woke up, went home and felt pretty great really. 2 days later (Saturday 6th) I had such minimal swelling (left side only) you wouldn't even notice unless you were looking for it. Sunday 7th I noticed a disgusting taste coming from left socket and it was starting to hurt. Went in on Monday 8th to get it cleaned, pretty repulsive really, but all was well and I went home. The Dr gave me a syringe and instructions on how to keep the sockets clean. I followed them.

On Wednesday 10th I was in pretty awful pain in the left socket. I went in to see the Dentist, he said it all looked great but why not pack the tooth. he did, I left, an hour later the left tooth felt perfectly good. That night the right socket started to hurt but it was no where near as bad as the left so I figured it was probably just that I had been medicating to the pain of the left socket and since I was no longer medicating, the pain of the right socket was able to show up. I went in to the Friday 12th and they removed the packing. By this time the socket had started to hurt again. A nurse repacked it, I was sent on my way and once again it started to feel better.

On the Sunday 14th I ate solid food for the first time and that night my jaw ached so badly I couldn't sleep, also it felt like the packing in the tooth wasn't in so well and I could feel it moving around in my gum. It was really starting to irritate me and I just wanted to pull it out. I also think I got feed trapped between the edge of the packing and the tooth. I was supposed to have the packing removed on the Monday but because I had such jaw pain that kept me up all the night before I overslept and missed my appointment.

Tuesday 16th I was experiencing pain in the packed left socket, but not overwhelmingly so. I went in to have the packing removed and there was no change in the pain level after removal (i.e. it didn't get worse like the time it was removed before). The dentist said he would not pack it a 3rd time and that if I called him again he would want to scrape the socket, technically resetting it. I have a problem with this since he also did an xray and said everything looks as though it is healing fine (no root fragments etc). I figured that if I am just a slow healer then maybe if he set me back to day one I will just go through the same thing all over again. But my biggest concern is that he said he would also put me on 6 weeks of IV antibiotics.

If I have a bone infection or something that requires these IV antibiotics then I would take them, but the only evidence he has of there being a problem is pain that still persisted 1.5 weeks after the extraction. That seems a lot of potential liver strain etc on an unconfirmed possible infection. Also, I am a single mother (well I am married but my hubby is away for the foreseeable future, and I have no family in the US) and so it would be a huge inconvenience if something is not necessary. For this reason I am a little nervous to present to him with any more pain.

Fortunately, my pain levels have decreased quite a lot since Tuesday, but I am still having some. I think the pain is solely in the gum around the left socket now, rather than in the socket itself. I am wondering if this might have been caused as irritation from the imperfect packing? Although that was removed on Tuesday so I wouldn't expect too much irritation now). I salt wash a few times a day, and irrigate with a listerine / water mix. Also, if the pain is subsiding, albeit slowly, how likely is it that there is a systemic infection? Last night I fell asleep with only minor discomfort and didn't even need painkillers to make it bareable to fall asleep. I took 2 advil this morning (2x200g ibruprofen) rather than the prescribed 800mg motrin I have required until now. The pain is definitely subsiding, but it has been 2 weeks and 1 day since the extraction and the OS isn't too pleased with this length of time.

In truth, I'm not totally sure why I am writing this apart from the fact that I could really use some reassurance. I know that to know everything for certain I should go see the OS, but as I said, I am a little nervous of presenting to him with ANY pain, because I worry about how fast he is likely to medicate me without proof.

Please help me, because the OS has pretty much put the fear of God into me that I am going to need to go into hospital and get IV antibiotics for 6 weeks, and have no-one to look after my kids. Is this likely based on what I have told you?

Thank you in advance.

Hi Popple,

I am in the dental profession, so I can offer you some help here....

First of all, the best and only thing to rinse or irrigate with is warm salt water. Any mouthwash like Listerine that is made up of chemicals, preservatives, dyes and alcohol will slow down/interfere with the healing process. Nothing in these products is therapeutic or healthy for anyone for any reason. The mouth has several hundred germs both good and bad and it is imperative to avoid disturbing the balance of these germs. Listerine and others like it cannot distinguish between the good and bad therefore they kill off all the germs predisposing the user to all sorts of oral problems. Occasional use of warm salt water is therapeutic and naturally anti bacterial.

The fact that your pain is subsiding is a good sign. The healing could be delayed due to the Listerine irrigation. I know many dentists suggest using Listerine because it is endorsed by the ADA. But the ADA also endorses mercury in dental fillings. So it's time for these dentists to simply .... pay attention and read the labels!

IV antibiotics bypass the liver unlike oral antibiotics. So the concern about over taxing the liver with IV antibiotics is unwarranted. I am unsure as to why the oral surgeon seems unconcerned about the possibility of infection stating the site looks fine, yet jumps to the possibility of doing IV therapy. Perhaps he was giving you the overall possibilities rather than the idea of it's firmly either this OR that?

Again, change your oral irrigation to salt water only ..... and hopefully
the discomfort will continue to subside. If it starts to throb or become painful, see your oral surgeon.

Bryanna

Thank you for your reassurances. I only started with the Listerine after the second packing was removed, and am more than happy to go on to just salt water. I really hate to use things that are full of chemicals an I think that is part of the distrust I have of the OS, even though I don't think he has done anything wrong. Like you pointed out, it seems a bit strange to jump on the "infection / antibiotics" bandwagon after saying it looks fine. I am also very pro alternative therapies so am currently on Vit A and C and numerous other things recommended by my acupuncturist to aid healing and also boost my immune system. Obviously if the pain gets worse again I will not hesitate to go see the OS, but in the meantime, you have really helped settle my anxiety about this. Thank you.

Nutritional supplements are a great idea! Just do not use chewable vitamin C because this is irritating to the gum tissue, especially the surgical site, and it breaks down tooth enamel. So oral pills or powder in liquid is fine!

Bryanna

Dental pain is so bad; hope you are feeling better. Best wishes.

Thank you :-)

Well, it has been four weeks and a day since I had this extraction and things really did improve. I did have a slight bruising feel to the gum until last week, but that subsided. However, today I woke up and noticed if I push my lower jaw forward I get a stabbing pain in the socket that was initially causing me problems. I haven't been back to the OS because, like I said, the pain had all but gone away and this is a different pain. It feels as though someone is sticking a needle in the socket but only when I move the jaw outside of it's regular scope of movement. Also, and this may be unrelated, my ear has been acting funny on the side that the socket hurts. This started a couple of days ago, before the new socket pain started up. Everything sounds as though I have water in my ear and sometimes it feels as though there is something making a rustling sound in my ear - when I yawn for instance. I assumed at first this was the start of a cold, but now I am not so sure. Any thoughts? Just go back and see the OS? See my regular doctor?

Popple,

Your symptoms sound like you may be having a problem with your TMJ joint. This can be evaluated by your oral surgeon. The inner ear pain can also be associated with this... but the water sound may indicate fluid in the ear of which your physician could check for you.

Try to avoid the positions of your jaw that are painful as this will only increase the inflammation. If you are diagnosed with TMJ issues, it can be helpful to apply moist heat to that area of your face and ear as this will promote blood flow into that area.

Please come back with an update.

Bryanna