I had a tooth extraction on an infected lower left molar. I thought taking the tooth out would relieve all the pain. There was swelling before the extraction. He prescribed me amoxicillin because the infection was pretty substantial. However, after three days, the swelling has hardened and not even my pain killers are helping. Is something wrong?
Lance
Dear Lance,
I am sorry you are in so much pain. It sounds like your tooth infection had already spread and is getting worse. Call your dentist and let him know what is going on. He will want to prescribe a different antibiotic for you.
The one he chose is fine, but you may have a bacterial strain that is resistant to that particular antibiotic. Jaw infections are serious so don’t put off calling him.
When Your Infection is Healed
Your dentist may have already mentioned this to you, but just in case I just want to put a bug in your ear for down the road. Once this is healed, you will need to replace this tooth. Otherwise, your other teeth will begin to drift.
When that happens, it will throw off your bite leading to jaw pain, headaches, and even TMJ disorder. Replacing that tooth can prevent all that.
There are tons of options for tooth replacements ranging from dental implants all the way down to a removable partial denture.
Your first priority is getting this infection under control, then you can begin to plan the replacement.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.