Swollen Glands after Dental Implants

[irrationalfearperhaps]

Hi,

A week ago (Mon 7th) I had 4 dental implants placed to hold the teeth replacing my top front 6 which I'd had out.

There was quite a lot of grafting done.

On Wednesday evening I noticed a swollen gland under my jaw on the right side.

When I woke up Thursday morning I had swollen and very sore glands under my jaw on both sides.

My dentist had a look and said everything in my mouth appears to be healing fine, the swelling was to be expected and that overall he was very happy with how the healing process was going.

He also said he's not seen the glands in that area swell as the teeth in the top jaw drain to behind the ear, not under the jaw.

I'm freaking out a bit as to the cause of the glands, I even started worrying about having kissed a girl a week prior, but my doctor as good as laughed when i asked him about HIV as he said its not a risk.

it seems somewhat a coincidence that they would swell after such an invasive procedure and not have something to do with it?

Is there anyway they could possibly be linked?

I'd really like to think they will resolve as the healing of the implants take place...

I'm currently on amoxicillin which i started taking the day before the procedure, and metronidazole which i started taking friday afternoon.

Thank you for any help or advice.

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Is the swelling worsening?  It could be to some minor bacterial infection from the implant placement but if your dentist has done an exam and checked the area for any signs of infection, I would monitor it, finish your antibiotics, and let him know immediately if it worsens.  

[irrationalfearperhaps]

Okay, that's a bit freaky then...

I don't have any other symptoms, it seemed quite coincidental that they'd come up a couple of days after the implants were placed?

I do have a root canal I need doing which I'm getting done on Thursday. Could having the implants have triggered of my defence mechanisms? i'd already had the abscess drained a while back but still have the temporary filling in, the dentist said there is still a slight shadow there, so i'm seeing the endodontist this Thursday to have the root canal finished.

Thank you for your time and help

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Probably not.  Although your dental implants could become infected, they wouldn't normally drain down to the neck region under the jaw if they were placed on the upper.  Your lymph nodes can also swell up just due a common cold.  I would monitor the situation and let your dentist know if it worsens or stays the same after a week or so.  Try to finish the antibiotics first and see how it turns out.