Aftermath of Tooth Extraction(s)

[FallenAnjel]

On Oct.26, (7 days ago) I had teeth 32 and 31 extracted. (Bottom right, wisdom and 2nd molar).   Personally, I think she was really rough, because while they both had holes in them, they were not lose by any means, nor infected.  I had to hold my fist under my chin she she could get leverage to get them out!  :(   Needless to say I was in tears all the way home.  Even the gauze hurt!

Sorry, anyway...  she gave me scripts for Vicoden (never took it... get very sick from it), 800mg Ibuprofin and 500mg of Penicillin. Ibuprofen and Penicillin to be taken every 6 hours.   I also got Chlorhexidine Gluconate mouthwash. I rinse 2 or 3 times a day with it.  (which I read on Wikipedia, may be useless).  I also use salt water rinses.

It's 7 days later, and while the swelling is 85% gone, I still have one hard golf ball sized lump in my jaw, below the extraction site.  I expected to not be able to open my mouth very wide for a while and I can't.  So, even eating a donut is terribly hard unless I squish it down, LOL.  

I get these throbbing dull pains, as if it's infected (I"ve had abscesses before, I know that pain all too well), but how can it be infected if I've been taking 2,000 mg's of Penicillin and the medicated mouthwash every day?   If I talk too much, (haha), or after eating (anything) I get the throbbing dull pain again.  If it's not 6 hrs, I use Ice to help.  By bedtime, I need an ice pack on my face just to fall asleep.  The stitches are still in place, and there has been no bleeding since the second day.

What I"m asking , is, is this pain normal after 7 days?  I got my bottom left Wisdom tooth taken out 10 years ago and 1-it was a soft tissue impact, 2-it didn't hurt as much 3-I went back to work  2 days later, and COULD HAVE gone the next day.  I missed 3 days of work this time.  

Could I have an infection, but the penicillin is just keeping it at the line of being a full blown infection? And why wouldn't the penicillin eradicate the infection?

Thanks for any answers.

[scottma]

Going back to your dentist to have a post-op exam is advised.You may need to switch to other antibiotics.

[mammo]

Your dentist sounds like a quack!  These teeth show have been cut out by an oral surgeon, you'd be fine by now.  What you're experiencing is not normal, and it's your dentist's fault.  You're taking an extremly large amount of antibiotics which also concerns me.  Go back to your dentist and don't leave until you are satisfied with what she says and does.  In the meantime, rinse your mouth with hydrogen peroxide 3-4 times a day concentrating on the extraxrion area.  It sounds to be like she may have broken a tooth and a piece is still in there forming an abcess (abscess) or infection.

[FallenAnjel]

Hi, thanks for your answers!  I was scheduled to go back Monday but my son was home sick, and he's off from school today.  I'm going to call them today, maybe I can get in tonight after my husband gets home.  Every time I get something done, the person that does it, for some reason, is only there on Mondays.  !?!?!  I do have state insurance, so that could be why..  State insurance.. you're on the bottom of the list.  But it's insurance at least.  I didn't have dental insurance since I was under my parent's....  20 years ago.

I'll update when I call or go to the dentist.  :)  

[FallenAnjel]

So, I called back the dentist, and I'm going back wednesday at 10:30.  they couldn't get me in today.  I told her I'm running out of Ibuprofin, and she said I can take OTC Advil.  It's cheaper for a script. ;)  I have enough to last until Wed. afternoon.   I said I'm taking the 2000mg of penicillan a day, and she's like, "OK"   !?!?!   She told me to continue warm salt water rinses, (which I am.. for the most part), I'm eating a bland, soft diet. (can't open my mouth more than 1/2 inch anyway).   I told her I was still using Ice and she said, I was only supposed to be using Ice the first 24 hrs, that I'm now supposed to be using WARM !!!  Ice makes it worse!?!?   WELL THANKS FOR TELLING ME THAT!  So, now, since I was talking on the phone for 10 min. my jaw hurts again, and I have a WARM COMPRESS ON IT!   GGggrrr...  

I can't open my mouth , it's gonna be hard to have them look in my mouth!  

On the upside I lost 5 pounds, LOL....  

[mammo]

Please keep us posted., I feel so bad for you.  At least you have a sense of humor about it!

[FallenAnjel]

Well, it had gotten more swollen today, I was back to where I was just after I'd gotten the teeth pulled!  The boss let me leave an hour early, and I just walked into the dentist... no appt!  (I"m so brazen! LOL)  I told them, I had this done 9 days ago, it started to get better, but now it's worse, and I need someone to look at it!   So,  I thought I'd be waiting a while, and I wasn't, only about 5 minutes! :)  (Of course, I wasn't leaving w/o someone seeing me anyway).  The hygienist or assistant, said it looked like dry sockets, but it couldn't have been, as I did everything RIGHT.  I don't smoke, no straws, etc, etc...   The dentist came in, and she looked at it, right away, said, "It's not dry sockets, looks like an infection"  !!!  (well duh! LOL).. (This was not the dentist that pulled the teeth, this was the NICE one that did all my other work).  

So, long story short... she gave me, Flagyl, and Clindamycin, and another script for 800mg. Advil.  She took my stitches out (dissolvable were not used).   Tonight when I got home, it started draining from where the stitches were... it's REALLY GROSS! LOL.  Not a lot, but I rinse it out w/ warm salt water.   She told me if it doesn't get better in a day or two, to call her.  

So, I MAY be on the road to recovery!  

PS... mammo.. I'm not in a lot of pain... it's manageable w/ the Advil, so that's why I can still have the sense of humour.   I've had abscesses before, and there was no humour w/ them! LOL...  

[FallenAnjel]

WEll, it's now Tuesday, 6 days after I got the new antibiotics and it's imporoving very slowly each day.  There's still a lump there, but don't know if that's the infection or a lump from getting the teeth out.  CAn open my mouth about 3/4 of an inch now.. that's slowly improving too.   I was supposed to take the AB's 3X a day, but they're wrecking havoc on my gastro-intestinal system, so I dropped it to 2X a day.  A long road, but the end of the ordeal is near! :)