Infection after Wisdom tooth extraction

[Kimby909]

My daughter had her wisdom teeth out three weeks ago. She seemed to do quite well til this past weekend. She began having some pain where one of the lower wisdom teeth was removed. She had to leave for college on Sunday and it didn't seem any worse than Sat. But, by Sunday night when she arrived at school, her face had swollen up and she was having puss drain from her gum. She called her oral surgeon this morning. He prescribed penicillin (the same antibiotic she was given for the tooth extraction). He also wanted her to go to an oral surgeon out by her college so that he could have it flushed out. She doesn't want to go because the surgeon is an hour away. Do you think that the penicillin alone can take care of this infection? Should she try to find another surgeon closer to have him take a look at it, or even a regular dentist who could at least see if it needs further treatment? I worry about possible complications if this infection isn't dealt with properly. Also wondering if having her teeth cleaned three weeks after her surgery could have caused the infection?

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Was the cleaning done right before she left?  I would still recommend going to see an oral surgeon or a dentist who's comfortable with wisdom teeth extractions to manage the situation.  If the oral surgeon is telling her to go, it would probably be best to follow up on their recommendation as he knows the situation best.  I understand that its inconvenient but the infection could have potentially worse consequences if it continues to spread and the antibiotics don't work.  

[Kimby909]

The cleaning was done on Thursday and she left on Sunday. The dentist didn't see any problems with the area when he checked her. It seemed to just flare up on the weekend. I am really going to try to convince her to go to an oral surgeon. I am really concerned about complications if she doesn't go. Thank you for your help.