Hi greany,

Your post got lost in the shuffle of things... sorry :/

Osteomyelitis can be difficult to diagnose at the early onset. Your symptoms and dental/medical history needs to be thorough and diligently discussed with a physician or an oral surgeon. Sometime a radiologist and/or infection disease specialist is brought in on the case. There are other things that mimic osteoymyelitis like cellulitis or osteonecrosis... etc.

Some tests that can diagnose bone infection are:
The Gallium Bone Scan
The Tech-99 Bone Scan
A CT Scan dentally formatted in 1 mm slices
To check the sinus a CT of the sinus in 1-3 mm slices.
An MRI depending on the stage of the infection can help determine how long
the infection has been present.
Sometimes a needle biopsy is done to identify the bacteria responsible for the infection so the proper antibiotic, dosage and regimen can be prescribed.

So you see it's not that simple as to what test to ask for. Your physical discomfort, visible symptoms and med/dental history play a huge part in determining the proper tests, etc.

I remember discussing with you the possibility of complications as you were going to travel far for the extraction. Have you spoken to the OS who performed the surgery? Perhaps they can give you a recommendation of someone to see nearer to your home.

Bryanna