Hi Bryanna,
Thank you for your reply. Yes I was told there was a hole in my sinus. The surgeon said he sutured part of my gum to close it. At my week post op I was told everything appeared to be healing. Though I was still having a fair amount of pain shooting up towards my nose. Indeed sneezing is still very painful. I do understand that there will be bleeding. However, its now 19 days past the date of the extractions. The pinkish smelly drainage bothers me at night. I wet a gauze with water and put that on the hole. This is coming from the infected "wisdom" tooth area. I was told mouthwash was fine to use now. But I think I'll go with your advice and DC that and go back to using the salt water. Just becoming frustrated.

Hi Joy,

Let me clarify some things..

Sneeze with your mouth open. That may lessen the pain as it reduces the pressure.

Bleeding is only normal for the first few days post op. Not normal 19 days post op.

The pinkish drainage may or may not be a sign of infection. If this drainage has not decreased daily and/or it continue beyond another week... either see the OS or see a different OS for evaluation.

Over the counter mouthwash is marketed as a means of killing bad bacteria. However it kills ALL bacteria, good and bad as it cannot distinguish between the two. It is never beneficial to kill the good bacteria. Mouthwash also contains alcohol, chemicals, preservatives and dyes.... all of which are very irritating to the oral tissue and serve no beneficial purpose. The alcohol causes a reduction in salivary flow which predisposes the user to tooth decay.

If you are not significantly improved within another week, see the OS or see a different OS for a clinical evaluation.

Bryanna

Bryanna,
Thank you so much for helping me with this. Luckily I was using a mouthwash that did not have alcohol in it. But have since DC'd that. I'll give it another week, if I still have that pinkish discharge I'll go back it. Yep it is somewhat less painfull to keep my mouth open when I sneeze.
Joy

I had 3 wisdom teeth pulled Sept 3 as I wrote about before. The tooth on the lower left is still draining some nasty tasting discharge and is still painfull when I chew. The one above it a hole was made in my sinus, has started bleeding again. It has been painful since the extraction, especially when I sneeze. I try to sneeze with my mouth open. But it still hurts. I have gone back a couple of times and have been told to give it 2 weeks more each time i have gone in. Honestly I feel like they are blowing me off. I have an appointment on Sept 11 with a "gum specialist" to follow up on the infected lower left. I am wondering if I should make an appt with an ENT for the upper sinus problem.

Hi Joy,

You mean Aug 3rd... right???

Are you using the left side of your mouth when you chew food?

Bryanna

I'm sorry I meant Aug 3. No I am not chewing on the left side of my mouth. I can't even imagine that. I try to minimize chewing anyway. Certainly can't bite anything like an apple. For that matter a peach. I have to slice them in small slices.

Bryanna,
Just wanted to let you know I went in for my "follow up" appt. Before the extraction the peridontist said he wanted to see me after my tooth was pulled. Basically to see how much of the jaw bone was infected. Since it had been a month & 2 weeks post op and my jaw was still hurting. Not to mention the nasty drainage from the site of the extraction. I was hoping to finally get to the bottom of this. Well the appt was just with the regular dentist. I expressed my concern about seeing the peridontist. So the assistant talked to him switched me to a different room. When the Dr. came in he said "let me see what you're complaining about." I thanked him for seeing me and he said he felt harassed. Because now he wasn't going to get a lunch. He poked and proded. Then said, "It's still infected. Make an appt with me in two months". I asked him what I should do because it still hurt a lot and was draining. He was very put out and said he could write an RX for antibiotics. Frankly by the time I got to my car was was crying. When I gathered my thoughts I called a Dr. I used to work for, he's an ENT. He called me in some antibiotics and a mouth rinse. He requested the xrays & pan scan. He said he will see me next weej and decide if I need an oral surgeon. I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO THAT PLACE AGAIN!

Hi Joy,

I am so sorry you are going through this. I feel so badly when patients are mistreated What a jerk that dentist was!!! Can I ask... was this dental office a clinic, a franchise type of business, or an HMO office with dentists of varying specialties all working out of the same office?l

Glad you have an appointment with an ENT Dr. Yes, he would be able to refer you to an oral surgeon. Make sure that you take all of your pre and post op xrays to the ENT Dr. Don't be shy about calling that dentist office and requesting them. They are your property.

I hope things calm down for you very soon. But even if they do, please follow through and see the ENT and anyway.

Bryanna

Bryanna,
This is a franchise. A person I know recommended them to me. I was foolish to go on his word alone and I didn't do research on them first. Had I, I would've seen a lot of negative responses regarding them. They are all over the US. Not sure how to make this private or I would tell you the name of the place. They herd you through like cattle.
Joy

Joy,

That is what I gathered from your other posts.

Dentistry was never intended to be run like a car wash. Nothing against car washes.... but that's all they do is wash the car.

The majority of dentists come out of school with enormous student loans and the cost to open their own practice is completely unaffordable. If they cannot hook up with a private practicing dentist, they still must seek employment to start paying off their loans. So without any knowledge of their skill the Director of the franchise brings them in to his business. These offices are run very differently than private practices. The dentists are simply employees and they have a quota they have to meet in order to stay employed there. If they don't make the quota, they either get fired or fined $$$. Because there are so many dentists coming out of school with no job lined up, these franchise owners know they can replace their staff very easily. These offices are also insurance driven... which means every patient gets charged the fees according to their personal insurance plan. Many plans pay very little $$$ per procedure .... so as a rule... these offices often utilize inferior dental materials and dental labs to help keep their over head down.

There would actually be a better way to do this if the health of the patient was of the utmost concern rather than greed being the main motive. But there is greed in every profession and dentistry is no different.

I don't need to know the name of the office... it is irrelevant as they all operate the same way. If you can find a way to see a dentist who is in a private or multi private practice, that may be a better option overall for you.

Bryanna