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Dental Health (Expert Forum)
prolonged pain after tooth extraction
Answered by
Jerome Bogin, D.D.S. - Dental
Questions in the Dental Health forum are answered by Dr. Jerome Tsang and Dr. Jerome Bogin. Topics covered include bridges, cavities, crowns, and x-rays.
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prolonged pain after tooth extraction
by barmof3, Sep 18, 2005 12:00AM
Upon having a tooth removed the dentist discovered the root had seared to the bone. I went to an oral surgeon who removed the root which left me in excruciating pain for a week. I saw another o/s who advised me an exposed bone had been left which was causing the pain. he romoved the bone and reconstructed the gum around the bone to cover it. it has been a week since this procedure and i am still in pain. the last o/s says it is not dry socket, and i should expect to be in pain for another two weeks. should i be concerned about the ongoing pain.
Doctor's Answer
by Jerome Bogin, D.D.S. , Sep 19, 2005 12:00AM
, Sep 19, 2005 12:00AM
The first 3 are healing great. There is no more pain.
The 4th extraction caused severe swelling, bruising all the way down my neck beginning at the jaw, and was very painful. I was unable to eat food for 4 days because I could not open my mouth enough. In the past 3 days, I have been able to open it enough to eat yougurt, mash potatoes, and tater tots.
The swelling is almost gone, but there is still a painful knot in my lower cheek over the extraction site. It's painful to the touch and the pain extendsthrough my jaw and in my teeth. The pain worsens when I am lying down. I can hardly sleep enough.
I went back to the oral surgeon yesterday, to allow him to see whats going on and what could be the cause of the pain.
He cleaned it with a seringe of water (which caused excruciating pain to where I was crying). He said that it was very clean, no infection, and did not appear to be a dry socket. But he perscribed more pain medication and antibiotic.
Before I left, the nurse told me there are other options to help with the pain. I asked what? She said I could come back the next day and they could pack it with gause and a numming agent. This would be repeated until the pain was gone.
So I researched 'dry socket' to learn more. Since I left the oral sergion yesterday, I have been in the same excruciating pain that I felt when they clensed it. The pain medication (vicadin) does not eleviate the pain. The pain is not as bad when I am in an upright position. But when I am lying down, I am experiencing throbbing and piercing pain. I was unable to sleep peacfully at all last night. I was did finally fall asleep sitting up at about 4:00AM. I awoke about 45 minutes later with a crick in my neck and ofcourse pain in my mouth.
I am exhausted, as I have been having trouble sleeping since the surgury. The first few nights, I only woke to take a pain killer then was able to fall back asleep. The following couple nights my pain medication was gone so I substituted it with ibuprophin. I took 600mg every 4 hours. And my sleep began to be less due to the pain when I was laying down.
Is it possible that during the clensing of the socket, they caused the clot to become dislodged. Or, could he have misdiagnosed it and it is a dry socket? And if it's really not a dry socket, why would the nurse suggest to pack it- wouldn't that procedure cause the clot to become dislodged?
He did not take an x-ray- should he have? Could it be something else? I'm afraid to go back to the doctor. The thought of experiencing the pain during the clensing and packing is unbearable; especially right now when the pain is so severe. Yesterday, I left the doctor in more pain that I walked in there with.
Please help- tell me what I should do. The nurse told me yesterday that they close at noon today, so if I choose to pack the socket, I'll have to make that decision right away, or wait till Monday.