Pain in the upper palate after tooth extraction

[PainfulExtraction]

I had my two upper first bicuspids extracted for orthodontics a week ago. The oral surgeon had a lot of difficulty removing the right bicuspid. He kept yanking at it for a long time, didn't succeed, took a small break, came back and removed my left bicuspid and then worked on the right tooth again. The entire procedure probably took close to an hour. After that, I was suffering from severe headaches and toothaches for five days for which I was continuously on Vicodin, after which my oral surgeon asked me to take Valium as a muscle relaxant because he suspected that I was grinding my teeth hard at night after the extraction. My headaches have reduced a little bit, however I have a swelling in my upper palate right behind the extraction site of my right first bicuspid. If I touch it, it feels like a swollen nerve or something - its really painful. The surgeon gave me antibiotics for it a couple of days ago, but I dont feel like they are helping much. Not sure what the problem is or what I should do about it. The pain in the nerve and my upper teeth are not allowing me to start my orthodontic treatment either. The headaches have not gone away completely, but they are not as severe any more. Any ideas on what the pain in the palate might be??

[Michael H Kirsch, DDS]

Swelling and pain are often the signs of an infection.  Antibiotics do not always cure the problem and you may require an incision and draining procedure.  I would certainly keep calling the surgeon to advise him/her of your continued pain.  If they are unresponsive then I suggest you get a second opinion for another Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon.

Information contained within this reply is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not intended nor implied to be a medical diagnosis or treatment recommendation.  This is not a substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical condition or question. Always seek the advice of your own doctor for medical condition. Only your doctor can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.

[PainfulExtraction]

Thank you so much for your comments. You were bang on target! I visited my orthodontist yesterday and he said that when he pressed the sensitive area on the palate, there was pus coming out of the hole where my tooth used to be. He sent me back to the oral surgeon, who did something (which might be the incision and draining procedure you mentioned). He numbed the area, put a few syringes into it (don't know if he was injecting anesthesia or draining the pus) and then did some poking and prodding with his instruments into the hole where the tooth used to be, finally spraying it with a lot of water (or some other liquid). The pain from the infection and pus has reduced (I think), but there is some other form of pain now which I think might be because of the syringes he stuck in yesterday. I am hoping that I will feel better in the next day or so.

I sure wish that I was in New Jersey and could have you work on my teeth/mouth instead!!