Bryanna,

I've been reading your posts on here for the past couple of weeks trying to figure out how to deal with my complications from my wisdom tooth surgery, but my recovery has gotten pretty odd so I figured it was time to join and make my own post to see if you might possibly be able to help me out and tell me what's going on so that maybe I can get this pain to finally go away. I feel like this has been going on for way too long. First here's a little about what's already happened.

Today marks the 18th day since I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. I am 20 years old and I have mild hemophilia, so because of that I went to a oral surgeon 2 hours away because he was familiar with my disorder and had operated and done this procedure on many hemophiliacs before myself, and he was near my hematologists so they were in close contact about what needed to happen as far as pre and post treatment and what not.

Before I go any further I'll go ahead and say that this experience has easily been the worst thing/ longest lasting pain that I've ever gone through in my entire life. Anyways my top two teeth were fine and I'm pretty sure came out with no complications. My bottom right side was a little bit tougher, but my bottom left one was impacted facing the rest of my teeth, and he had a really hard time with that one. He had to break it in half and everything to get it to come out, and he messed up that nerve down there so now I'm dealing with a numb lip on the left side of my face that they warn of before the surgery. The first 5 days were absolutely brutal. I was hurting extremely bad, and wasn't able to stop pain meds until day 6.

Days 6 and 7 things started to get a little better, but then it alllll went down hill. The pain started coming back really bad on my left side, and the life side of my face started swelling up really big again and on day 8 the doc called and said I had an infection so I started clindamycin 300mg 3 times a day which I am still currently taking. I was able to puss with my thumb from the outside of my cheek into my mouth from the slit on the outside of my last molar back there up until about 2 days ago.

They told me that I have been experiencing a dry socket but I'm about convinced that I have/had it on both sides. I still have these slits that are still open on the outside of my last remaining molars on the bottom left and right sides of my mouth, and I still have one stitch remaining in my bottom right gum, but here's my main problem: I am still in excruciating pain from this surgery. It seems like it's never going to end. My mouth still won't open all the way, and every single one of my remaining molars ACHE at all times, especially bad whenever I close my jaw which has me worried that I have a clenching problem when I sleep or something. My teeth have noticeably shifted, and I'm still unable to eat solid foods. I'm 6'2 and weighed 180 before this surgery, and now I'm all down to 160 pounds. My diet has consisted of a lot of soups and fruits like blueberries and pineapple, and lots of yogurt.

I'm currently brushing 3 times a day, rinsing with saltwater after every meal or whenever I drink something besides water, I've also been rinsing with that nasty blue perioguard stuff almost every time after I rinse with saltwater as well for the last 8 days or so, and I've also been using some clove oil on and off here and there which I think has helped some. One thing I'm really worried about is the amount of tylenol I've been taking. I can't take ibuprofen or asprin because they have blood thinners in them, so I'm just limited to tylenol and I know it can't be healthy to take 3,000 mg of that stuff for 18 days in a row now but I literally can't live without the stuff.

I'm just literally desperate for this pain to go away, and I don't know where else to turn. I feel like 18 days is way to long to still be in this much pain. Every time I call the doc he just tells me to keep taking the antibiotics, and to keep irrigating the sockets with that blue perioguard stuff or whatever it's called, but I'm not even so sure that the dry sockets are the problem anymore because even my upper teeth hurt. What are your thoughts?

Hi wpclark,

You mentioned that the oral surgeon is 2 hours away. Did you actually see him for a post operative visit or did he just diagnose the infection over the phone?

The incisions that he made to gain access to the lower wisdom teeth will take time to heal. But if there is an infection, that may delay or prevent the areas from healing. I also wonder if you are over rinsing with the peridex. That rinse is very harsh and should not be used more frequently than as prescribed. If you irrigate too often, that will interrupt the natural healing process because those chemicals kill not only bad, but good bacteria as well. Salt water rinsing is really ideal because it does not kill good bacteria and it aids in the healing. Just rinse with it 3-4 times a day and no more.

Based on your description of the events that have taken place to date, it would be wise to have the oral surgeon take a look at the surgical sites and evaluate the situation. If you cannot travel to his office, perhaps he will refer you to someone closer to your home that will see you for the evaluation. It would be helpful if the oral surgeons were to discuss your case ahead of time so the new one that you see will have been given a verbal synopsis of the surgery that was done.

Regarding the tylenol.... I believe 3000 mgs daily is the maximum dosage that is currently being prescribed for severe pain. However, I think that dosage is only meant for short term usage as tylenol is highly toxic to the liver. A pharmacist could help you with that information better than I can.

I don't think it's wise to just keep taking the tylenol and wait this thing out. If it were me, I would get in to see an oral surgeon to evaluate everything.

Please check back with us when you can.

Bryanna,

No I actually never got to see him for a post operative visit. He just diagnosed me through the phone, but I'm pretty sure his diagnosis on the infection was correct. I went to a dentist in my hometown a few days after the surgery, but before the infection who recommended that if I wasn't better by this previous Monday to go back and see the oral surgeon. Every time I call down there, his nurse answers and just leaves him a note and sometimes he will call me back himself and other times he will just leave his nurse a note, and she'll call me back and tell me what he said. At this point I'm just beyond ready for all of this to be over with. I'm going to call tomorrow and be pretty intent on wanting to come down there and see him again because after 19 days I feel like I shouldn't still be feeling like this. The only reason I haven't been more urgent to try to make it back down there this past week is because I just started this new internship that I landed for the summer on this past Tuesday, and I didn't want to have to skip a day of work on my first week.

I'm going to take your advice and limit the peridex usage to maybe once or twice per day. I think that it and the antibiotics have just about ran their course anyways because I think my infection has all but gone away. My swelling has decreased to a minimal amount and I'm no longer able to push any puss out of the wound like I used to be able to. I do however have this kind of like hardened raised bump that I can feel by pressing my fingers against my cheek along my jawbone. Is that just left over residue from all of the swelling?

The thing that is confusing me so much is that since the infection seems to be noticeably almost gone, and the sockets are getting better and everything then why in the world am I still in so much pain?? It seriously seems like all of my teeth in the back of my mouth are aching nonstop still and the only thing I can think of that it might be is that they're moving or something. It also doesn't explain why my top teeth hurt so much as well. You would think that since the complications have been on the bottom of my mouth that it would be those that are having the problems. Like I said my teeth have noticeably shifted since after the surgery. I have a gap on top that I had before braces that's noticeably coming back much worse than before the surgery, and my teeth don't fit together the way that they did before I had this operation either. I feel like my bite has gotten much worse and doesn't fit together near as well as before either.

I hate having to take this tylenol, but without it my teeth ache so bad that I'm literally just miserable. I'm trying to space it out each time to 6 hours so that maybe I can cut back to 2,000 mg a day, but every time I get around 4 and half to 5 hours the pain just comes back full force, and I'm left with no choice but to take some more. I'm just becoming absolutely desperate for this whole situation to get better and resolve itself. It's literally ruining my quality of life. If I would have known that my recovery was going to be anything like this then I would have never had this surgery done in the first place. This has just been the worst experience ever.

Hi wpclark,

It is routine and important to see the oral surgeon 7-10 days post op oral surgery irrelevant of whether or not everything appears to be fine or not. Perhaps he should have tried to refer you to someone local to evaluate everything prior to his diagnosis and before prescribing the antibiotic. Your description of the pus coming from site is indicative of an infection but it still needed to be evaluated to determine the depth, location and degree of infection. Based again on your recent statements, it seems as though the oral surgeon that performed the surgery is not too concerned about your pain and the amount/duration of tylenol that you are taking. But as you said, how much longer is this going to go on and why is this happening?

You could be clenching or grinding your teeth which would cause the upper teeth to ache. It is also normal for the teeth to shift a bit after other teeth are extracted. But now you have a new symptom, that hard lump. So again, you need to be clinically evaluated. Have you asked if he will refer you to an oral surgeon locally to you?

Bryanna,

I have not asked if he would do that yet, but I'll call first thing in the morning and see if he can do that for me. I know of a few different oral surgeons near where I live. I guess it would need to be an oral surgeon and not just a dentist though correct?

wpclark,

Yes, an oral surgeon. However, it would be best if the surgeon who did the extractions spoke with the local surgeon to inform him of the intricacies of the surgery that he did and what his findings were because every surgeon has their own way of doing things. So to be fair with the local guy and so that he doesn't have to make any assumptions, he should be informed before he sees you.