muscles

[patrick4]

hello i took out my wisdom teeth a year ago and since then i got plenty of pains in my jaw and palate (the roof of my mouth).I went to the dentist got a splint and all my jaw pain is gone.I now have pains in the roof of my mouth and i think it is because of my muscles because  when ever i make any eye movements or certain jaw movements like biting down and chewing chewy foods i get more pain in the roof of my mouth.So  i just wanted to ask if muslces could of been torn or damaged and if it is how would that fix.Any advice will be greatly appreciated

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

If you have a problem still, I would recommend going back to the dentist who removed the wisdom teeth to get an evaluation.  If you aren't satisfied, you may want to seek an oral surgeon if you feel that there were complications after wisdom teeth removal.

I haven't run into any particular cases of muscles being torn or damaged in the palate area after wisdom teeth removal.  Sometimes the muscles that are used to open and clothes your mouth can be traumatized or injured though but after a year, the symptoms should be gone.

[patrick4]

I had gone to and jaw specialist (maxiofacial doctor).Is this the same? When i had went by him he said i had tmj but all my tmj symtoms are now gone but i get really bad pains in the roof of my mouth.By chance do you think when they were taking out my wisdom teeth they could of left a piece of tooth in my gums and it went up in the roof of my mouth and pinching on a nerve?Or that doesnt make any sense?

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

I suppose its possible but generally the roots would actually just sit where they are or drift out of the gums generally.  Sometimes during an extraction, the root tips can be pushed to other places such as the sinus so I suppose it can be slightly displaced into the palate but again, it would be the first case that I ever have heard of.  

Does your splint fit comfortably?  Is it possible that a poor fitting splint is putting pressure or causing some problems with the palate?  Or has the palate problems started before the splint was placed?

You may want to see an oral surgeon to get that are evaluated.  

I'm not sure what a maxillofacial doctor is but sometimes oral surgeons are also referred to as oral maxillofacial surgeons.  

You may also want to post this question in the oral and maxillofacial surgery section to see if he may have any ideas as well.

[patrick4]

yeah thats the same type of doctor i visited.im not too sure but i think it happened after the splint.but But if a piece of tooth is in the palate region,how would i have to fix it?by the way i had my two wisdom teeth removed in my lower jaw not my upper ones

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Ok.  So you had TWO wisdom teeth removed from the lower and nothing on the upper?  I don't think its possible for the wisdom teeth to "jump" to the palate.  Try getting your splint adjusted on the top palate area and see if that makes a difference.  I wouldn't suggest you stop wearing your splint though because it may affect your TMJ.

[patrick4]

oh okay but do you think its possible to get and xray or any sort of mri to see the roof of your mouth?

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

I'm not sure if its okay or not.  You can ask your dentist or oral surgeon to arrange an x-ray to get that evaluated possibly.  A panoramic x-ray should show if there's anything in the palatal area.

Again, I would recommend adjusting the splint first to see if theres a simple solution.

[patrick4]

oh okay well the dentist took a panoramic x ray already and they dint say any tooth was there.He only said my sinuses were bad.but they gave me sinus medicines and this thing to clear my nasal passage way. my dentist alredy adjusted my splint a few days ago but i think its a little slack .so ill ask to tighten it up i guess

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Has the pain been alleviated or improved since the adjustment?

[patrick4]

i think the pain got less but i had notice something very interesting.I had a pimple on the side of my nose so i took my fingers and had burst it. i noticed after i did that i got some pain in the roof of my mouth but it  dint feel as if it was directly on the roof but  a little higher up like behind my nose.so  after that happened i took my fingers and put plenty pressure on my face like under my eyes and i had notice the roof of my mouth had hurt more .It was like instant pressure pain.But the pain felt as if it was not directly on the bone but as if it was higher up

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

I'm not 100% sure or anything but usually when a patient has pain in the upper part of their mouth and I can't see any reason on the x-ray, my first guess would be a sinus problem, especially if there's a history of nasal problems.  You already states you got sinus medication but the pain hasn't alleviated.  Has there been any improvements overall?