Extraction issues
 

Hello. I had my lower right second molar extracted a week ago. Prior to the extraction, the tooth became very painful, but never developed any form of fistula or drainage. It was broken and decayed and needed to go. The dentist remarked several times during the procedure that the tooth was very difficult to remove. It broke multiple times, required drilling and some cutting of the gums. After the procedure, I was given pain medication, but I never had to take it. Tylenol and Advil were adequate in managing the pain, however the pain is still present. It is not severe, but it is still there. My ear also aches on and off and I can tell my mouth is still swollen a bit particularly around my jawbone where I can feel a bit of a lump. I called the dentist yesterday afternoon and explained the situation. He called in an antibiotic to "be on the safe side" but said to come let him take a look next week if it wasn't better.

My logical, rational side says it is just taking time to heal because it was a stubborn, tough extraction and it required a lot of pulling a movement. The other, slightly neurotic side of me is spending my time researching osteomyelitis and wondering how expensive surgery is. Given that my pain is not severe, my swelling is not obvious at all from the outside, I still have an appetite, and I don't think I'm running fever, is a jawbone infection a legitimate concern or is this likely just a slower healing process?

Hi Lynnlee,

Due to the difficulty of the extraction, this could be your normal healing. However, it is possible that a piece of tooth may have splintered off and be wedged in there. A single periapical xray would likely be diagnostic in this case.

Rather than take the antibiotic unnecessarily or worry about osteomyelititis .... I would call the office and ask if you can pop in for a post op xray to rule out a retained piece of tooth.

Bryanna