JaySmitty,

The swelling may persist for awhile.... could be a few days more or. Like I said you have a very bad infection in your jawbone. The antibiotics may need to be taken longer than usual or changed after this prescription. It is best to see the oral surgeon the day before your last dose of antibiotics so he can evaluate the need to take them longer or not.

Yes, it is normal to still have pain. Jay you have a severe infection. The source of the infection (which was the tooth) is gone. But the infection had been spreading for weeks if not longer before you had the tooth removed. It is going to take a long time for this to get better.

With that said, if you develop worsening pain that lingers past the morning hours.... do not wait, go see the oral surgeon as that could indicate a dry socket.

It is also common for the extraction site to hurt in the morning especially if you are sleeping flat on just one pillow. During the night the inflammation will settle in the cheek both inside and out as the face is reclined. Try propping your head up on two pillows. See if that makes a difference.

Are you using a most heating pad on your face at all? How are you doing with eating? Have you found some soft foods to eat?

heres a pic of the extraction.
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2qsrtw1&s=8




I been eating ok i had some soft potatos for breakfast. I been eating that and pudding. by the way its allergy season and i know that makes my throat feel bad also. My names Justin by the way :-)

Justin,

Thanks for the picture. You may want to be careful posting your picture on that site as it has some explicit pictures of things that are not really appropriate.

The extraction site (the wound) looks irritated and you have plaque inside the socket and around that last molar. You need to rinse better or more often with salt water. You also need to brush that molar better. You can use a wet q-tip to clean off the plaque around the tooth if you are hesitant to use your tooth brush. Do not put the q-tip in the socket. Just rinse a little better and more often after you eat.

The area below the socket where the fistula was is inflamed not even close to being healed. This area will improve but only if the infection goes away. When do you see the oral surgeon again?

Potatoes and pudding.......... well... you will need to do better than that if you want to heal well. It is so important to eat healthy during this healing phase. Is there someone that can help you prepare some healthier foods?

Bryanna that is just a hosting site i only have that pic and my other face pic on there. the other pictures i ha e no idea about. sorry if you seen anything explicit for i dont upload anything of that nature. i just googled free hosting site since image shack was down. the oral surgeon never told me to come back. that does not look like dry socket does it? food and debri is in there i know.

Sound i irrigate with the peridex or just continue to irrigate with the salt water. if i irrigate the socket some of the gunk gos away. Yes i know i may ask mom to run to the store what food do you recommend?

Justin,

I wasn't implying that you had put any of those other photos on there. You just have to be careful where you put your picture....unfortunately.

You definitely need to see the oral surgeon for a post op appointment. Usually that is about 7 days post op unless you have a problem before that. So it would be good to call ahead and arrange that.

Did the oral surgeon tell you to irrigate the socket? Did he tell you to use the peridex to do that?

I am not a big fan of patients irrigating their own sockets until after the 10th day post op the extraction. You can however rinse aggressively at this point which means swishing the salt water or peridex vigorously around that area of your mouth and that will dislodge the food debris.

It does not look like a dry socket from that picture. But I can see how extensive the infection has been by the way the oral tissue looks below all of those posterior teeth. Thank goodness you got that tooth out!

Justin,
I answered your irrigation question in the previous post.

Yes, please ask someone to get you some healthy food from the store.

Here is a list of some things you might like....

Apples
Apple sauce (sugar free)
Sweet potatoes
Avocados
Ripe Melons
Mangos
Soups (low salt)
Cheese (no crackers)
Eggs
Bananas
Squash
Cook some carrots, green or any type of beans, peas
Hamburger (not fast food.... the real thing... just skip the bun)
Canned tuna or salmon
Any flaky fish like sole, salmon, flounder or cod

If you have a blender... you can make different smoothies with different fruits.... even some that are not on this list because they are harder to chew like pineapple and any type of berry. Add some ice cubes or ice cream to the mixture to thicken it up (just a little). Even adding some protein powder would be a great nutritional boost for you.

How does that all sound to you ??

Come on Bryanna no yogurt on that list :-P
i love to eat healthy. i like greek yogurt activa. i got
some pin powder with probotics and digestive enzymes along with some meal replacement drinks. I got a juicer and a blender u can.mix the yogurt with the protein pow
der. yes it said to irrigate after 5 days with the salt water or peridex. I appreciate all you help.

Justin,

I personally don't like yogurt and the processed stuff in the store is not really healthy. But homemade yogurt is healthy if you have time to make it!

So you have a juicer and blender and all you're eating is potatoes and pudding!! Get cookin'... or blendin' or juicin' :))

You are welcome.

Bryanna wanted to ask, the swallowing thing is still there it is kind of uncomfortable. If both doctors seen me and said it was swollen lymph glands do you really believe that's all it is? It still feels a little tight on that side. Still a little discomfort on swallowing. If that went away i would probably feel much better. I also have noticed i have real bad acid reflux. It's feels like it's more like near the right side of my throat in the middle or near the bottom. I can't determine if it's that or allergies i assume it's a combination but my left side is not swollen at all.

Justin.

It would not surprise me if your lymph nodes remained swollen for awhile. How long.. I couldn't tell you. I also cannot tell you if there is something else going on that is unassociated with your jaw bone infection. Chronic sinus drainage can also cause the glands in the neck to swell up. So you probably have a combination of things going on. The acid reflux could be aggravated by your diet, your allergies, and/or the meds that you have been taking.

I would suggest you see an Ear Nose and Throat specialist. And without a doubt make sure you are drinking a lot of water throughout the day. The water helps you to stay hydrated, it flushes out toxins and mucus from your nose and throat.

Yes it seems if my allergies are better the throat thing doesn't bother me as bad. Sometimes it doesn't bother me and next minute is does it's weird. I found a good protein mix with a probiotic that i mix with milk and a scoop of ice cream. It made me feel "much" better after i drank it. My stomach seems like it feels like it's burning i have always suffered with stomach problems. All these antibiotics have been real hard on my stomach. If i continue the probiotic with the mix will that help "heal" the stomach? Also i noticed the tooth in front of the extraction site hurts a little. Is that normal for that tooh in front to hurt a little? I noticed the gum is a little irritated around that tooth. I think if i can get my allergies and my diet right i should be feeling good. I'm trying. I used to be a health freak but i swayed away after a while. I will admit I felt much "better" eating healthy and working out my life was great never had no teeth problems till i was 31. I am now 32. My grandmother had all her teeth pulled at 16, my mother still has her front teeth my dad has all of his *two root" canals. I just want to prolong my teeth as long as possible. I think even with brushing and flossing genetics can still cause your teeth to go bad. I think once the swelling goes down and the extraction site is covered "im hoping" i feel better then i have in a long time. My health is my number one main concern. I lost my grandfather 2 months ago and this abscess occured shortly after that. I'm trying to get back on track and feel like a new person again.

Justin,

Eating healthier will make you feel better and also help with your stomach issues. The infection and the meds take their toll on the immune system and you ideally you should take a probiotic for several more months to build up some healthy bacteria in your gut.

When you have chronic stomach issues this means that you are lacking in good healthy bacteria and that you may be sensitive to some of the foods that you eat. So eating a clean fresh food diet, no sugar, no processed foods is really ideal for optimum health. Perhaps this is a good time to think about doing that :)

I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather . Getting sick when your spirits are low is really tough. But you understand what you need to do to get better so try and stay motivated and focused on what you really want to do.

Regarding the pain in the adjacent tooth... it is common for the adjacent teeth to temporarily hurt a little bit after an extraction. However, my concern is the size of the infection in your jaw bone. This will have to be monitored for several months. I may have asked you this before... when is your post op appointment with the oral surgeon?

I see an ent tomorrow and the oral.surgeon on thursday. is there anything i should ask.him?

ok bryanna been 7 days seem ok still little bit of neck discomfort. i noticed
the tooth in front of the extracted tooth is a little inflammed red. feels like some bone around the side of the tooth is gone. the hole its self dont hurt but the tooth in front seems bee a little sensitive. i noticed a little part of the bone stickig out from the side. is spot. is this normal? i figured it feel good by now but still hurts a little.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ccr...8#.U1lgCKOXuJw


heres a pic

Justin,

I didn't see your previous posts about your drs visits!!! .... :/

What did the oral surgeon and ENT drs say?

Thanks for posting the picture. The socket looks pretty good. I think there is evidence of a bony fragment poking through but the pic was a bit blurry, so I'm not certain of that. Bony fragments are common and you may end up with one or more of them. They usually work themselves out. If not, then they can usually be easily removed. I would expect you to lose some bone around that pre molar tooth (the one in front of the space) due to the size of the infection you had in the jaw.

FYI... I can see that you are building up plaque around the adjacent teeth. The plaque is very irritating to the gum tissue and can cause soreness or pain. So you need to brush a bit better okay :)

I can't go till monday. Dr was not in. It feels that the tooth in front is a little puff as in inflammed or possibly infected. The extraction hole does not hurt. I still have the discomfort feeling in my neck. I figured it would have tamed down by now. Would it be worth going to the doctor and getting pictures or xray taken of it? I been losing sleep worrying about it, I don't like anything to disrupt how i eat or sleep. Sometimes when i sleep i feel like my mouth drys out real bad and the swells more so that's one reason i have had trouble sleeping. My right side face still feels a little tender/swollen.

Thanks,
justin

Justin,

You should see an ENT specialist regarding your swollen lymph nodes and throat problem and the oral surgeon who should take an xray of the right side of your mouth to see if the infection is subsiding. You had (have) a large infection in your jaw bone. It would not surprise me if the pre molar was having some problems from that infection.

I know you are uncomfortable and just want to put this all behind you. I expected you to not be back to normal for several weeks. BUT you need to see this through and have your symptoms checked just in case the infection has spread. Okay :)

Bryanna i went to the Oral Surgeon Today, they did one of those full 360 xrays. He looked at it and said it's healing good like it's suppose to. I asked him about the inflamation and he said that's normal after an extraction till it heals. I said it has felt a little puffy or uncomfortable. Basically that's all he said. Didn't seem to be to concerned about it.

By the way Bryanna here are the xray he took today long with with the tooth extraction hole. I still feel like it's a bit infected because it has a little pulse if i bend forward in the gum. He did not remove the food debri in the hole when i was there. He mentioned there was a little bit of food in the hole but it he said everything was healing up good. I hope he is right. Let me know what you think. The blood clot is very small near the root.

http://i57.tinypic.com/4jatt.jpg

http://i58.tinypic.com/2zplelg.jpg

Oh By the way Bryanna, i want to know what this is looks almost like a fistula but i could be wrong. I do no there's where it's felt inflammed or infected to me.

http://i58.tinypic.com/scf8k0.jpg

Justin,

Thanks for posting the panoramic xray and photos.

The site looks like it is healing. I think you have some food packed in the socket that may be irritating to the gum tissue. This would cause the inflammation and that pulsating sensation that you get. I am surprised that he didn't irrigate it out for you but he may have felt that it would work itself out.

I would suggest that you rinse with warm salt water very vigorously in that area and that may help to dislodge that food debris. It may not come out initially when rinsing but rinse again the same way a few hours later and then again to continue to loosen it up.

What did he say about the swelling in your throat, neck and lymph nodes?

Ok will do that, i forgot to ask him about that. I have an ent appointment wednesday. It's near the bottom of the neck, It almost makings me wonder if it's allergies or the left over infection. It's honestly not sure. My nose has been clogged up since the pollen release. Since my antibiotics ran out the last doctor i seen Saturday felt my neck and wants me to take cefinir 300mg. I am picking it up today. The lymph nods seem swollen from the side all the way down to the top of my shoulder. The left side does not seem to be swollen but the infection was on the right side. I'm honestly not sure what it is, one day it feels fine one day is doesn't. I'm going to try a sinus rinse and see i that helps. The doctor did say i had draining but i don't think the lymph nodes should hurt like that which i could be wrong.

Justin,

The Cefdinir is a cephalosporin drug similar to penicillin and keflex amongst others. If you are taking antacids ... make sure to take them 2 hours before or 2 hours after the Cefdinir or the antibiotic will become less affective. Since you are seeing the ENT Dr tomorrow maybe it would be wise to not take the Cefdinir until you see him as the meds may temporarily subside some symptoms making it difficult to diagnose the problem.

Try using a saline nose spray a few times a day to try and clear some of the congestion and reduce nasal passage inflammation. Try not to use anything other than saline as it's not necessary to put any chemicals up your nose.

bryanna did you see the black circle i circled in the pic. thats thr spot that looks yellow almost like a fistula or blister. do you know what that is? it does feel soft. still feels little puffy

Also in the panaoramic xray did you see my upper right sinus cavity? It seems larger the the left side. That tooth above 31 had bothered me before so i wonder if it is affecting the sinus cavity.

Bryanna, it's been months after the extraction, i went back to the oral surgeon and dentist and they said everything was healing fine. I still feel a lump under the jaw on that side and my right side lymph nodes have stayed swollen. Somtimes it goes away and sometimes it comes back. It seem like the lump wasn't noticable for a couple months but it's starting to act up again not to where my face is puffed out but you can feel it if your put your fingers on it. What could this be a cyst or something? Could there still be fluid trapped in the jaw bone from where i had that abscess 6 months ago? I figured everything would have healed by now but it's still not 100%. I'm starting to think that lump could be the cause of my swollen glands on that side of the neck. If it is a cyst does it have to be aspirated since it's under the skin? I'm trying to get back to 100% recovery but i don't feel i am there yet. I forgot to mention to the dentist about the lump under my jaw, he just noticed the swollen glands.

Hi Justin,

Nice to hear from you!

It is not uncommon for lymph nodes to swell up and go down. Actually that is pretty normal since they are part of the system that gets rids of offending bacteria. So it might be that there is some residual bacteria in that area and your lymphatic system is trying to get rid of it. It is something to keep an eye on but and if the lymph node stayed swollen and was sore, then that would be more of a concern.

The lump underneath your jaw could be a cyst or a pocket of inflammation that has not subsided yet. If it becomes sore or gets larger... then see the oral surgeon. Otherwise if you think you are doing okay and things are slowly getting better....monitor it as it may take a year for your system to clear out all the bacteria as you had a very bad infection.

Hope all else is going okay with you! Keep us posted :)

Yeah thanks, i been better then i was but my neck still aggrivates me, that place under the jaw is that something they can aspirate? Yeah my swollen lymph nodes haven't really subsided i think it's an issue everyday i wake up but sometimes i don't notice it. I do have allergies and i know that may not help but i have never had issues like this before. I wish it would all go away just trying to figure out best to to make it go away. :)

Hi Justin,

It may not be something that can be aspirated. You would have to see your physician and have a definitive diagnosis first.

Allergies can cause your glands to swell up and the more chronic the allergies the more likely the glands are to stay swollen.

Have you had allergy testing done to help determine what you are allergic to?