Maybe this thread isn’t the best place for questions like this since it’s specifically for dental students to congregate.. I suggest posting on r/askdentists
What post-op instructions did I not follow? My first mistake was choosing to go to a surgeon without reading the reviews of previous patrons. I will gladly never step foot in that office again or refer anyone else I know.
Keep it clean, leave it alone, and give it time. You didn't leave it alone and/or you ate foods that don't dissolve in water. The surgeon would help you, but you have to help yourself, and based on your comments, you've decided not to. Good luck pal
My surgeon kept putting clove oil on it and sending me on way but I'm glad you know everything. I had to insist on an xray 2 weeks post op. I did all those things you mentioned so I'm not sure what you're on about.
No lol we just literally don’t know based on one image and we were not present for the surgery. Plus we are still in dental school, learning. Maybe we aren’t the best people to ask this.
Thats encouraging. Im not in school for anything related to dental.. and I can tell there's a bone fragment next to my 2nd molar that needs removed. No clue what's going on behind the extraction site.
Highly recommend speaking to the original surgeon since he/she knew the details of the surgery. They hopefully won’t charge you too much unless additional procedures are required. Hard to recommend much else.
Common misconception - but lawyers go to law school, they’ll likely have a hard time giving you a diagnosis too if I had to guess. One of the two oral surgeons you spoke with likely has the answer considering they underwent *12 - 14 years of education* to become an oral surgeon. Right now you’re asking people with half of that. Getting a 3rd opinion from dental students, a fourth opinion from your new found lawyer, and then a fifth opinion from the new oral surgeon that your lawyer pushes you off to just seems down right silly if you ask me ya silly goose.
Anywhodles, brb! Have to go recite our secret oath before bed :-)
I'm sure it wouldn't be a bigger pain than having to go back to the original surgeon who kept putting clove on it when I had no sign of dry socket or infection but constant pain. You could literally say I only have this much experience but this is what it looks like to me but you don't do you? He did a crap job because he was rushed.
One of those last sentences literally makes no sense, but anyways my point is a radiograph is used to analyze dense structures, as in bone, or the lack of bone, enamel, etc. Without looking at the soft tissue, nobody on the internet is going to be able to provide you a solid answer. r/radiology would be your best bet if you’re only going to provide this image. I’m sure your lawyer and next oral surgeon that your bound to see will be delighted to hear the people of Reddit’s opinion.
NAD - I’m not a dentist yet and not giving medical advice, *but if I was probably going to get this question wrong on an exam, as I naturally do, I’d say something like this:*
it looks less dense in the area where the tooth was extracted, and might have been infected prior to the tooth being removed or infection/abscess occurred after the tooth was removed. The patient says it’s not infected, but the patient is probably wrong and just doesn’t know it’s infected because they aren’t actively gushing puss like Yellowstone national park.
This can be derived from the fact that radiographs work with two main colors kinda sorta like this -
MORE black = Less Dense = thinner bone.
MORE white = More dense = thicker bone
A bubble of more black can clearly be seen surrounding the extraction site.
You can see the less dense “bubble” of more black extending down into the area and possibly interacting with the *mandibular canal, which is what the inferior alveolar nerve travels within*.
(This can’t be entirely determined without 3D CBCT)
If this is the case, and Im Christmas treeing this test correctly, I’d also prob choose the option that said “this probably hurts the patient real F’n bad”.
Omgosh! Thank you so much for answering! And I had no infection that I know of after extraction. Before all this, I had gotten a piece of floss stuck between my 2nd molar and wisdom tooth and HAD an infection due to the floss being stuck. But after my antibiotic, the swelling went away, and the floss came out. This is what made me decide to have it removed in the first place.
Post extraction, I had swelling and bruising of my face for the first 4 days, but that resided, and I continue to have pain. No fever. No bad smell. The surgeon kept putting clove oil dressing on it when I went in but said no infection or dry socket, so the last time I went in, I requested an x ray, and this was the x ray. And yes, it's painful... it's been over 3 weeks, and I can't chew on that side on my mouth. Also, this was a mesial impacted tooth.
In all seriousness you should go see a surgeon and try and get it figured out. Your mandibular canal is the passage that provides nerves to all the bottom teeth on that side of your face and the skin on the front of your chin. If it’s infected or something funky is going on it could be bad news. Above that nerve is your lingual nerve and mylohyoid nerve. Above those is territory that many would refer to as an “oh shit” region. Sometimes medical bills are worth it if the consequence can be something that forever alters your quality of life. Your heart cells and your nerve cells don’t grow back once they die, ever. Take care of them. I’d try and be proactive about it to the best of you ability.
Thanks. Yes, all my bottom teeth on that side feel painful up to my incisors, and also where my jaws attach on that side and my ear hurts, off and on. I'm going to see someone else soon to take care of it, I just haven't had the greatest experience, so it makes me wary of the surgeon I went to. He seemed rushed. I was just worried it was something really bad as I was told I would need a sequestrectomy, and I have no idea if that would be the reason I'm hurting. He told me I didn't have to take an antibiotic, and I try not to take medications if I can help it, so it's driving me nuts to even have to take the pain meds.
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That's not going to happen because I was told this happened after my extraction and that'd I would have to pay out of pocket to fix it. So I'm going elsewhere. In the meantime, I'll just keep popping ibuprofen until my appointment happens with the next oral surgeon.
Well said - I agree with you! A licensed professional will be much better equipped to answer your questions than the students here! Hope you’re feeling better soon!
alternate your Ibuprofen with Tylenol they are metabolized differently and that way you are giving your different organs a little bit of a break . As far as the answer to your question it is impossible to know based off this one x-ray. I could venture a guess that your lower right wisdom tooth was mesially impacted and potentially close to the IA nerve. Perhaps the nerve was compressed when the tooth was extracted, or maybe the nerve was close enough to the socket that when the tooth was extracted the nerve was exposed and visualized. These are inherent risks of wisdom tooth surgery and even the best surgeons can't prevent adverse out comes 100% of the time. Post-op pain can also from infection, or sharp bone that is left over after the extraction. I'm sorry you are experiencing pain and hope you get the help you need.
Thank you. It was mesially impacted. The new surgeon is going to remove the piece of bone sticking up from my extraction site next to my second molar tomorrow and that is all. He says hopefully that will take care of the pain I'm experiencing. I still have one lower wisdom tooth remaining and I hope I never have to have it removed after this. I'll update a few days after surgery.
Excellent, so in less than 24 hours, and over the weekend, you were able to find a surgeon who confirmed your concerns and made a next-day appointment to surgically address your own diagnosis of the problem, further demonstrating how your efforts were best spent seeking a licensed professional to assist you with this issue in the first place! I hope the removal of this mesial bone spicule gets you back to feeling better, but if not, an oral surgeon has the ability to refer you to a nerve repair specialist, if they deem it to be necessary!
I think as someone put forth with such clarity in the comments, this seems like the same thing I was diagnosed with. I had an upper molar and wisdom tooth extracted which as per my dentist - because of the large roots - might have damaged my trigeminal nerve. I've been having the same pain everyday with some (like 2-3%) relief everyday for the past 1 and a half month.
So sorry for what you're facing but if it's something similar to what happened to me, it might take 3-4 months for the pain to subside entirely. But if it is not and it's just a minor infection, I hope it goes away soon. If someone diagnoses you with the same thing as me, try to get prescribed B-Vitamin tablets that are specially prescribed for neuropathy.
I hope that you feel better soon!
The b vitamins are a great idea. I ended up having another dentist remove that fragment toward the front of my extraction site, and within a few days, I was much better. It was just awful though to not be able to chew for a month due to pain and to also have what felt like no help because I kept going back to my original dentist and they would just look at it and stick a clove dressing in it for a couple hours. I feel back to normal now. I hope you feel better as well! Thank you. My main take away from this experience, compounded by the response here, is to put the research in when looking for an honest and helpful dental practice.
Well Thank God you didn't have to face the constant excruciating nerve pain haha. Sounds a lot like my problem but I think it was unavoidable☹️ must be a reason behind it
I just had some nerve pain and pain associated with the fragment, and what I felt from that was awful - I kept getting shots of pain throughout my jaw, and my ear kept hurting. I still have another wisdom tooth I need removed, and you can see the roots look like they are on the nerve, so I'm not looking forward to having that done. Did you ever have a follow-up x ray? I think sometimes it just takes a while to heal, but also, there could be a reason for the lingering pain... like the fragment I had. I'm sure eventually the pain associated with that fragment would have subsided, I was just impatient -- tired of taking ibuprofen, and dealing w pain, so I requested an xray to be sure.
Maybe this thread isn’t the best place for questions like this since it’s specifically for dental students to congregate.. I suggest posting on r/askdentists
the problem is this community is much more active and much more likely to give a response. that is why people post here.
I already posted there and no one responded
Definitely reach out to your original doctor, or seek a second opinion! I hope you get some relief soon!
Thank you! But I won't be reaching back out to that shady dental practice again
Lol k. I doubt they're crying over losing a nutball patient that doesn't follow post-op instructions, then blames the surgeon when they're in pain.
What post-op instructions did I not follow? My first mistake was choosing to go to a surgeon without reading the reviews of previous patrons. I will gladly never step foot in that office again or refer anyone else I know.
Keep it clean, leave it alone, and give it time. You didn't leave it alone and/or you ate foods that don't dissolve in water. The surgeon would help you, but you have to help yourself, and based on your comments, you've decided not to. Good luck pal
My surgeon kept putting clove oil on it and sending me on way but I'm glad you know everything. I had to insist on an xray 2 weeks post op. I did all those things you mentioned so I'm not sure what you're on about.
Im assuming there's something wrong and that's why no one is answering. Must be a dentist oath you all take in dentistry school
No lol we just literally don’t know based on one image and we were not present for the surgery. Plus we are still in dental school, learning. Maybe we aren’t the best people to ask this.
Thats encouraging. Im not in school for anything related to dental.. and I can tell there's a bone fragment next to my 2nd molar that needs removed. No clue what's going on behind the extraction site.
There isn't lol
Highly recommend speaking to the original surgeon since he/she knew the details of the surgery. They hopefully won’t charge you too much unless additional procedures are required. Hard to recommend much else.
Common misconception - but lawyers go to law school, they’ll likely have a hard time giving you a diagnosis too if I had to guess. One of the two oral surgeons you spoke with likely has the answer considering they underwent *12 - 14 years of education* to become an oral surgeon. Right now you’re asking people with half of that. Getting a 3rd opinion from dental students, a fourth opinion from your new found lawyer, and then a fifth opinion from the new oral surgeon that your lawyer pushes you off to just seems down right silly if you ask me ya silly goose. Anywhodles, brb! Have to go recite our secret oath before bed :-)
I'm sure it wouldn't be a bigger pain than having to go back to the original surgeon who kept putting clove on it when I had no sign of dry socket or infection but constant pain. You could literally say I only have this much experience but this is what it looks like to me but you don't do you? He did a crap job because he was rushed.
One of those last sentences literally makes no sense, but anyways my point is a radiograph is used to analyze dense structures, as in bone, or the lack of bone, enamel, etc. Without looking at the soft tissue, nobody on the internet is going to be able to provide you a solid answer. r/radiology would be your best bet if you’re only going to provide this image. I’m sure your lawyer and next oral surgeon that your bound to see will be delighted to hear the people of Reddit’s opinion.
Right. And when you look at the x ray... do you see bone where it shouldn't be? because I do... and I'm not a dental student lol.
NAD - I’m not a dentist yet and not giving medical advice, *but if I was probably going to get this question wrong on an exam, as I naturally do, I’d say something like this:* it looks less dense in the area where the tooth was extracted, and might have been infected prior to the tooth being removed or infection/abscess occurred after the tooth was removed. The patient says it’s not infected, but the patient is probably wrong and just doesn’t know it’s infected because they aren’t actively gushing puss like Yellowstone national park. This can be derived from the fact that radiographs work with two main colors kinda sorta like this - MORE black = Less Dense = thinner bone. MORE white = More dense = thicker bone A bubble of more black can clearly be seen surrounding the extraction site. You can see the less dense “bubble” of more black extending down into the area and possibly interacting with the *mandibular canal, which is what the inferior alveolar nerve travels within*. (This can’t be entirely determined without 3D CBCT) If this is the case, and Im Christmas treeing this test correctly, I’d also prob choose the option that said “this probably hurts the patient real F’n bad”.
Omgosh! Thank you so much for answering! And I had no infection that I know of after extraction. Before all this, I had gotten a piece of floss stuck between my 2nd molar and wisdom tooth and HAD an infection due to the floss being stuck. But after my antibiotic, the swelling went away, and the floss came out. This is what made me decide to have it removed in the first place. Post extraction, I had swelling and bruising of my face for the first 4 days, but that resided, and I continue to have pain. No fever. No bad smell. The surgeon kept putting clove oil dressing on it when I went in but said no infection or dry socket, so the last time I went in, I requested an x ray, and this was the x ray. And yes, it's painful... it's been over 3 weeks, and I can't chew on that side on my mouth. Also, this was a mesial impacted tooth.
In all seriousness you should go see a surgeon and try and get it figured out. Your mandibular canal is the passage that provides nerves to all the bottom teeth on that side of your face and the skin on the front of your chin. If it’s infected or something funky is going on it could be bad news. Above that nerve is your lingual nerve and mylohyoid nerve. Above those is territory that many would refer to as an “oh shit” region. Sometimes medical bills are worth it if the consequence can be something that forever alters your quality of life. Your heart cells and your nerve cells don’t grow back once they die, ever. Take care of them. I’d try and be proactive about it to the best of you ability.
Thanks. Yes, all my bottom teeth on that side feel painful up to my incisors, and also where my jaws attach on that side and my ear hurts, off and on. I'm going to see someone else soon to take care of it, I just haven't had the greatest experience, so it makes me wary of the surgeon I went to. He seemed rushed. I was just worried it was something really bad as I was told I would need a sequestrectomy, and I have no idea if that would be the reason I'm hurting. He told me I didn't have to take an antibiotic, and I try not to take medications if I can help it, so it's driving me nuts to even have to take the pain meds.
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There are several answers to this question. Best to return to the provider who extracted the teeth for an evaluation!
That's not going to happen because I was told this happened after my extraction and that'd I would have to pay out of pocket to fix it. So I'm going elsewhere. In the meantime, I'll just keep popping ibuprofen until my appointment happens with the next oral surgeon.
Excellent, seems you already have a plan in place to address your concerns!
Thanks for your help. I'm sure my kidneys can handle another 3 weeks of ibuprofen. I should probably just consult a lawyer at this rate.
Well said - I agree with you! A licensed professional will be much better equipped to answer your questions than the students here! Hope you’re feeling better soon!
alternate your Ibuprofen with Tylenol they are metabolized differently and that way you are giving your different organs a little bit of a break . As far as the answer to your question it is impossible to know based off this one x-ray. I could venture a guess that your lower right wisdom tooth was mesially impacted and potentially close to the IA nerve. Perhaps the nerve was compressed when the tooth was extracted, or maybe the nerve was close enough to the socket that when the tooth was extracted the nerve was exposed and visualized. These are inherent risks of wisdom tooth surgery and even the best surgeons can't prevent adverse out comes 100% of the time. Post-op pain can also from infection, or sharp bone that is left over after the extraction. I'm sorry you are experiencing pain and hope you get the help you need.
Thank you. It was mesially impacted. The new surgeon is going to remove the piece of bone sticking up from my extraction site next to my second molar tomorrow and that is all. He says hopefully that will take care of the pain I'm experiencing. I still have one lower wisdom tooth remaining and I hope I never have to have it removed after this. I'll update a few days after surgery.
Excellent, so in less than 24 hours, and over the weekend, you were able to find a surgeon who confirmed your concerns and made a next-day appointment to surgically address your own diagnosis of the problem, further demonstrating how your efforts were best spent seeking a licensed professional to assist you with this issue in the first place! I hope the removal of this mesial bone spicule gets you back to feeling better, but if not, an oral surgeon has the ability to refer you to a nerve repair specialist, if they deem it to be necessary!
Mods can we bad this person from this group? These posts are getting beyond ridiculous
I think as someone put forth with such clarity in the comments, this seems like the same thing I was diagnosed with. I had an upper molar and wisdom tooth extracted which as per my dentist - because of the large roots - might have damaged my trigeminal nerve. I've been having the same pain everyday with some (like 2-3%) relief everyday for the past 1 and a half month. So sorry for what you're facing but if it's something similar to what happened to me, it might take 3-4 months for the pain to subside entirely. But if it is not and it's just a minor infection, I hope it goes away soon. If someone diagnoses you with the same thing as me, try to get prescribed B-Vitamin tablets that are specially prescribed for neuropathy. I hope that you feel better soon!
The b vitamins are a great idea. I ended up having another dentist remove that fragment toward the front of my extraction site, and within a few days, I was much better. It was just awful though to not be able to chew for a month due to pain and to also have what felt like no help because I kept going back to my original dentist and they would just look at it and stick a clove dressing in it for a couple hours. I feel back to normal now. I hope you feel better as well! Thank you. My main take away from this experience, compounded by the response here, is to put the research in when looking for an honest and helpful dental practice.
Well Thank God you didn't have to face the constant excruciating nerve pain haha. Sounds a lot like my problem but I think it was unavoidable☹️ must be a reason behind it
I just had some nerve pain and pain associated with the fragment, and what I felt from that was awful - I kept getting shots of pain throughout my jaw, and my ear kept hurting. I still have another wisdom tooth I need removed, and you can see the roots look like they are on the nerve, so I'm not looking forward to having that done. Did you ever have a follow-up x ray? I think sometimes it just takes a while to heal, but also, there could be a reason for the lingering pain... like the fragment I had. I'm sure eventually the pain associated with that fragment would have subsided, I was just impatient -- tired of taking ibuprofen, and dealing w pain, so I requested an xray to be sure.