About a month ago I had a partial impacted wisdom tooth extraction done. After about 3 weeks I developed what the oral surgeon called a dry socket and a small abases had started. He cut and scrapped the socket and sent me on my way. The following week I went back to have the packing changed and the OS was worried because he said he could still feel bone in the hole. So they washed the hole and repacked it. After about 2 days the inside and outside of my cheek swelled up and I experienced deep pain especially after eating. I went back to the oral surgeon’s office and saw a different surgeon who washed the hole and repacked it and proscribed hydrocodone and augmentin.

Two days later I took a bite of pizza and heard a laud crack like a firecracker going off in my ear the pain put me on my knees. I called the oral surgeon told him the issue and he agrees to meet me in the office on a Sunday at 11am. All he could do was wash the hole out and send me to get more antibiotic this time amoxicillin and told me to take (6) 200mg ibuprofen for the pain and inflammation. Come Tuesday morning 3am I went to the ER because the pain was so bad I could not sleep. After a CT scan the ER doc told me I had saver osteomyelitis of the jaw and he recommends a PCC and 4 to 6 weeks of I.V. antibiotics. However the on call oral surgeon was the surgeon that caused the issue and he wanted me to return to his office at 3pm.

So I went directly to his office and demanded he fix the issue so he and one other OS batted back and forth about re-cutting me open and scrapping the socket again or putting me on Percocet and clindamycin final they arrived at clindamycin and Percocets.

Bye Thursday week 4 I was sent home from the office about after an hour after arriving because I was turning white and feeling faint from the pain. I went directly to my family physician. She was aware of the tooth extraction because I have my yearly checkup the day after the extraction and my BP was elevated due to the pain. My family doc was shocked that I was still in pain and I was swelled and the hole had not closed. I shared a copy of my CT scan and the ER docs recommendations and the chain of events. She immediately admitted me to the hospital and I was put on IV Rocephin, oral clindamycin and morphin. I finally got relief for the duration of the morphine. Any way today is Saturday day 3 in the hospital and the swelling is down the pain is out of control after I eat or I should drink my food and drink and it comes and goes throughout the night. The infectious disease doctor is working hard to see if the infection is in the bone or in the surrounding tendon and muscle. Funny thing is no one can see a fracture in the jaw yet they believe there is a tiny hairline crack. The crack was the loud bang I hard and the infection may be covering the fracture.

Now that the pain is clearing up I am beginning to relies that my cheek is constantly tingly and numb, my tong can feel my inter gum but my inter gum can’t really feel my tong. The numbness is from the front middle of my lower jaw to just under my cheek bone and down to the sharp corner of the bottom of my right side jaw.

I am a very health very fit 36 year old father of 3 and my wife is not able to work as we are in an immigration process. I have a heart murmur that I have had since I was 11 years old so I know why my family doc is so concerned.

My question is I told the OS about the murmur and he seems to want to down play the issue and continue to treat me free of charge. Needless to say I would never let the guy touch me again!

My next question is: I don’t believe this is normal. My wife had 3 wisdom teeth extracted at once and she was back on her feet in about a week.

My last question is I am driving up quite the medical bill and lost work time. Is there any recourse to this.

Hi Heavygage,

I am in the dental field and can offer you some information here.

I am so sorry you are going through this difficult ordeal.
Based on your description..... it sounds like you had a severe, long term infection in the jaw bone in that lower area of your mouth prior to removing that tooth. If that is the case, then the development of the secondary infection (osteomyelitis) would make sense. Your situation is not seen on a daily basis, but it is seen quite often. Many times it goes undiagnosed until the pain and/or swelling becomes severe.

The removal of wisdom teeth in people who do not have a long term abscess in the bone generally heal quite well and quickly from the surgery. That was probably the case with your wife.

Having the pick line in to administer the antibiotic is an imperative treatment to help eradicate the infection and also to help prevent the spread of infection. Osteomyelitis of the jaw bone is very dangerous and it can be difficult to eradicate completely. I am glad that your physician was quick with her actions to get you help. I am also glad that you have an infection disease specialist monitoring your care.

The numbness that you are experiencing in that area of your mouth and face may be due to some partial nerve damage from the extensive surgery... from the repeated scrapings of the socket and/or from the infection itself. The numbness may become more widespread before it gets better. There is no way at this time to know if this numbness will be permanent or temporary. It is important to tell the infection disease dr all of the symptoms you are having. He/she may call in an oral surgeon to evaluate you. That is something you can speak to him/her about.

Regarding the loss of work time etc...... I suggest that you get a copy of all of the records and xrays from the hospital, the physician who admitted you there and every dentist that you have seen in the last year right up to the very last xray or scan that was taken. Make a list of the dates of your appointments, who they were with, and what was done. Be as specific as possible in your notes as this may be helpful to you later on.

It is also important to know that these things will come into play if you should decide to pursue legal action...

1) How long had it been since your last dental check up?
2) How long was that area of your mouth bothering you.
3) When were you first told by a dentist to have that wisdom tooth removed?
4) When did you first learn that there was an infection in the bone?
5) Did your oral surgeon give you a post operative protocol in writing and did you follow it?
6) Did you smoke prior or after the extraction of that tooth?

I hope you continue to get better and it will be important to follow up with your dentist for a couple of dental xrays of that area every 3 months for at least the next 2 years.

Please check back with us to let us know how you are doing.
Bryanna