Absess tooth = Jaw bone infection?

[LadyTsuguri]

I used lived up north in a small town where none of the local dentists would take the state insurance, so I couldn't visit a dentist for quite a long time. I think the absess developed during that time at some point. I noticed the bump up in my gums, closer to my cheek bone. It was quite a large bump. I didn't think of it for quite some time, although I believe I did have pain at first and I couldn't eat on that side, but I don't know for sure. Years later we moved to where we are now, and I finally told my regular doctor about it. He looked at it and didn't think it was an absess because it was so high up in the gums, but he said I should see a dentist about it. So, after months of being on the waiting list I finally went in for cleaning, and I told the dental hygenist about the bump, she felt it and thought I should have an X-ray. The X-ray showed that it was absessed, and so I had to go in for dental work. It took some time for them to work on it, they had to keep cleaning it out. They finally finished about january or febuary.

During all this time my lymphnodes would swell up in my neck, armpits and groin area, real big. And it still happens. And also the bump is still in my gump, not as big but it's still there. I recently had a bone scan done later this month and they said my jaw bone lit up and they asked if I had recent dental work within the last six months, I answered yes which is obviously wrong because january/febuary is about 9 months ago. So, my question is, could this be a bone infection and how can I know? All in all, I may have had  the absess for at least 3 or 4 years, would this be enough time to develop a bone infection? Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[zmombomb]

I noticed you are on both this site and the lupus site.  It makes me wonder if you have Sjogren's Syndrome, which will give you Lupus symptoms, and also destroy your gums and jaw.  Have the dentist or rheumatologist test you for that as well.  Heck, all your symptoms may be just from some virus in that bump!!!  That's very possible!

[scottma]

Cervical regional lymphadenopathy is commonly associated with jaw bone infection. Axillary and groin lymphadenopathy  are not commonly associated with jaw bone infection. Further investigation of lympadenopathy is wattented.