So I had my top 2 wisdom teeth removed almost 4 weeks ago (will be 4 weeks on Wednesday). the right side hole seemed to be much smaller and is healing a lot better. The left side hole is bigger facing more so towards my cheek and seems to be more difficult. They seem to be filled in with new tissue already although I drank from a straw the other day and the right side is very sore. I also seem to have lingual tonsillitis which my ENT gave me Keflex 500 mg 3 times a day for 10 days. I was worried about the soreness so I saw the oral surgeon the staff stated the site was filled in and looked great as did my dentist who saw me 2 weeks post op. I'm concerned with the soreness I'm having, the salt-water rinse kind of stings it. When I look at it, it seems ok although looks almost rawer on certain sides than the other. Yesterday it hurt to open my jaw a little on the left side, was very random didn't last as long but hurt up to my eye and cheek. Once I massaged my cheek it was a little better. It almost feels raw in areas, drinking water doesn't make it hurt, it almost feels like a scab was pulled off. I am just concerned with what's going on, hoping it's not an infection, but I also am on antibiotics. I've had a rough time lately with teeth issues, had a bottom molar re-root canaled due to an infection as well in December. Any information would be helpful thanks!

Update: Saw a new dentist today and they did radiograph's and he advised there is nothing on the radiographs that concern him. He definitely see's where the new tissue has filled in but it's still red and tender and he said it looks like the left tooth was facing more towards my cheek where more of the sensitivity could be coming from. Just told to give it more time.

He also stated the radiating pain in the ear and headaches could be caused by the TMJ joint, any thoughts on that?

Hello and welcome to the NeuroTalk Support Groups!

I am sorry that I can't help with any ideas regarding your dental issues but just wanted to suggest that you can also do a full forum search e.g. keyword 'Temporomandibular' and that will bring up other posts for TMJ across all the forums.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/search.php

take care.

Hi starsparkles,

Based on your previous posts, I am going to assume that the actual oral surgeon has not evaluated the site. However, the surgeons staff as well as your general dentist have, is that correct? The best one to evaluate the site is the oral surgeon as that is who rendered the treatment. So he would know the actual details of your surgery and if what you currently are experiencing with the soreness in the surgical area is normal for what had been done.

Radiating pain into the ear and headaches can be caused by inflammation in the TMJ joint or surrounding area. Inflammation in that area is often due to a muscle spasm or tight muscle in the muscles that control the movement of the jaw. Sometimes people have chronic TMJ issues due to a clenching or grinding habit or a misalignment of their bite... sometimes there are definitive symptoms with this, other times not so much. Meaning you could have a TMJ problem and not really be aware of it because it was not causing obvious symptoms until the muscle spasm occurred and set off a chain of events and inflammation. It is not uncommon for people to complain of TMJ and/or facial/ ear or head pain after a tooth extraction because the mouth was either propped open or opened widely for an extended period of time resulting in the muscle spasm.

Acute problems of the TMJ usually subside on their own once the muscle relaxes. However, if you had any previous TMJ issues or you clench or grind your teeth ... then this could take longer to repair or it may end up being a problem that bothers you from time to time. Your general dentist would need to evaluate your bite and also the wear pattern on your teeth to see if you have a bruxism habit. If that were the diagnosis, then your dentist could have a night guard made for you that would be helpful in relaxing the muscle and preventing tooth damage that can occur with that habit.

For the acute pain of the TMJ, You can apply moist heat to the affected side of your face for 15-20 minutes before bedtime and upon wakening in the morning. Do that for few days and see if it helps. Avoid foods that are very chewy so as to not over work the jaw joint.

Hope this information is helpful to you,
Bryanna

Thank you so much Bryanna! I have seen the oral surgeon at least twice into the healing process and he had kept saying everything was healing well and my surgery was rather easy since the teeth were already erupted. I went last week but his staff looked at the area's and stated that tissue has already formed in the area. I feel bad for calling so much. I do know that the side that is more irritated is the one where the tooth was facing more towards my cheek. I do wear a retainer from having braces but due to the surgery I haven't been wearing it that often. I did however start wearing it regularly for the past few nights, so it is definitely possible I may be clenching due to stress and what not.

Hi starsparkles,

My advice would be to see your orthodontist to evaluate the fit of your retainer and adjust it if necessary to accommodate the removal of this tooth. Also, not wearing your retainer will cause a shift in your teeth as your teeth have a memory and to prevent them from moving, the retainer needs to be worn regularly. So your bite could be off from not wearing the retainer which could be the cause or part of the cause of your jaw pain.

Most times when a wisdom tooth is high up and facing the cheek side, the removal of this tooth is a bit different than if it were sitting straight in the bone. The bone surrounding the angled tooth is different than normal around the cheek side. So this may take longer to heal and will look different than the other side.

Bryanna




QUOTE=starsparkles926;1131579]Thank you so much Bryanna! I have seen the oral surgeon at least twice into the healing process and he had kept saying everything was healing well and my surgery was rather easy since the teeth were already erupted. I went last week but his staff looked at the area's and stated that tissue has already formed in the area. I feel bad for calling so much. I do know that the side that is more irritated is the one where the tooth was facing more towards my cheek. I do wear a retainer from having braces but due to the surgery I haven't been wearing it that often. I did however start wearing it regularly for the past few nights, so it is definitely possible I may be clenching due to stress and what not.[/QUOTE]