I have had my last two teeth pulled and my immediate denture put in. Now I have an abscess not responding to oral or iv meds and a strip of bone exposed still from the extractions in approx mid April. I'm hardly able to eat, eating T3's and Toradol. Dentist wants to do alveopslasty saying infection is gone by taking 1 X-ray, my reg doc is sending me for a bone scan.
This is a VERY brief recount of what is going on. I'm going by my doc on this and extremely unhappy with my dentist for result of procedure and that I would be charged for the repairs to the mess. I need some help to understand what is going on. I've actually been taking photos of the sites as days go by... very disgusting. : (

Hi N burd,

When the jaw bone is exposed after tooth extractions, as you have described it, the reason for the exposure needs to be determined in order to choose the best treatment option. General dentists are <<minimally>> experienced and knowledgeable about how to effectively treat it. You really need to see an oral surgeon for the proper diagnosis and treatment. Before you have the bone scan done via your physician, consult with an oral surgeon first as he will know exactly what type of bone scan to prescribe for you. There are many different scans and this needs to be very specific. It is imperative to have ALL of your xrays sent to the oral surgeon prior to the consult.

There are several reasons why the jaw bone would be exposed. Some have to do with the way the surgery was performed, some are due to the patients anatomy/bone loss, some have to do with the patients dental and medical history along with various other factors pertaining to the individual patient.

Some things that are contributing factors that can result in incomplete healing and jaw bone exposure after tooth extractions....

Long term use of various medications that cause dry mouth syndrome.
Bisphosphonates (bone building drugs).
Periodontal disease.
Abscessed and/or root canaled teeth.
Auto immune diseases or other health conditions.

If the patient has limited gum tissue (in the area of the extractions) due to severe recession, it can be very difficult to close the gum tissue over after extractions. This would result in exposed jaw bone.

I hope this information was helpful to you.

Hello Brianna,
Thank you very much for your reply : )
I believe my physician is in contact with an oral surgeon already in regards to the situation and (how would I put it) working in tandem(?) with him to try to get everything straightened out. Could I be mistaken in this?
Regarding the charging the dentist wanted to for 3 alveoplasty sites as being "not due to extraction" seem right comsidering the abcess was due to the denture cutting into the gums and the bone being exposed because the tooth was removed seem correct to you? i was also charged $100 for the visit to let know what was going on with the situation and 1 X-ray for the immediate decision there is no infection.(while I have an iv port in for antibiotics) or to do the 3 sites and deal with any infection when/if any is found? Sorry to be such a bother... I am widowed, living with my parents and have no job right now, I can't afford what dentist wants to do, let alone any "surprise" findings. : (

N burd,

Do not assume that your physician will contact an oral surgeon. Did he tell you he was going to do that?

I'm sorry I'm not able to follow what this means....you wrote:

"Regarding the charging the dentist wanted to for 3 alveoplasty sites as being "not due to extraction" seem right comsidering the abcess was due to the denture cutting into the gums and the bone being exposed because the tooth was removed seem correct to you? "

Why do you have an IV port? Was it for your dental situation or something else?