feeling dreadful after tooth extraction

[roxy90]

Hi everyone I had a tooth taken out on Saturday and I've felt terrible ever since.

Both sides of my jaw are hurting as well as my throat and ears. I feel like my vision is going blurry in light. The gum around the tooth next to the one taken out is swollen. I feel like my throat is closing up.

I'm utterly terrified of dentists and I am shaking in fear at the thought of having to go back. If I could go to a doctor today I would , I am so scared.

Is this normal for after a tooth extraction? Crying here I feel like I'm dying. :(

[jillyb]

Sorry to hear about your tooth. I had one extracted last year and it was not pleasant! Have you been put on any antibiotics? Sometimes these are needed. It took ages for mine to settle down by which time the HA had really kicked in and made it so much worse! As long as you are not running a fever I doubt if it is infected. The dentist will be open tomorrow, I expect, so you could ring them just to check. Most people just take these things in their stride, but people like us find this very difficult ...so frustrating! I expect your jaw is sore from having it open for the extraction. I'm sure it will settle down soon but please try not to stress as I'd hate anyone to end up with the problems I had, all of which were caused by my stressing! Grrrr! Hope you feel better soon x

[roxy90]

Thankyou! It was a little bit infected, tooth has been removed and that was that, no antibiotics. I used to be able to take these things in my stride too but since the anxiety started I'm a total mess! I suppose its the ear and throat pain that's bothering me, oh gosh lol I worry my airway will block or something.

Thanka for your lovely reply BTW :)

[Annie0904]

You may have got an infection in if you were not given antibiotics. I would go back tomorrow and have the dentist check it. In the mean time wash your mouth out with warm water with a teaspoon of salt in. I had one out last year and it wasn't very nice. I hope yours heals soon.

[roxy90]

She said my tooth was infected and it was taken out, so obviously I'm very concerned its spread, which will then turn to death (as told by Google!)

[Fishmanpa]

You may have got an infection in if you were not given antibiotics. I would go back tomorrow and have the dentist check it. In the mean time wash your mouth out with warm water with a teaspoon of salt in.

It's not unusual to be pretty sore after an extraction and infection. Antibiotics are pretty standard fare after a tooth extraction in the US. If you weren't given any, it would be worth a call to get some. I hope you feel better soon.

Positive thoughts

[Annie0904]

Roxy...it will not lead to death! Never trust doctor Google who wants to give you the worst case scenario. Rinse with salt water which is a natural antiseptic. Do this every 2 hours. Take some paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain and swelling and contact your dentist tomorrow.

[debs71]

You sound like you may have an infection, as Annie said.

You also need to stop Googling. How has that information served you well? Death from sepsis is the most EXTREME outcome. You will not die from this, and that is ridiculous.

I had the same experience as you in Dec 2012. I had my wisdom tooth removed. It was a difficult extraction. It was not packed or stitched, so I was left with an open, infected extraction site. I also was not given antibiotics.

I had your symptoms. Felt awful. my neck and jaws hurt immensely, I could not open my mouth more than a few centimetres and my face was swollen and red.

The ear and throat pain you have is referred pain.

You need to see either (ideally) a dentist again or your GP for antibiotics. I saw an emergency dentist who gave me antibiotics, but the first course only helped slightly. I then saw my GP who prescribed a second course which did the trick.

There are other things that you can do, which DO help. This is what I did:

You need some clove oil, some cotton buds or some gauze. You mix a tiny few drops of clove oil with some water (in an egg cup or small pot of some kind) Clove oil is SUPER STRONG so you don't need a lot.

You dip the bud/gauze in the clove oil and place it gently onto or into the extraction site. You will feel immediate relief. You can do this several times a day for pain relief.

Secondly - salt water rinses. This is crucial to keep the wound site clean and help with any infection. Several times a day again. Corsodyl mouthwash is also very good for tooth extraction care.

Compresses on the face also help for swelling and pain. (cold for swelling, warm for pain)

Tooth extraction is not as straightforward as people make out. I have had two wisdom teeth removed, and both times the extraction and recovery were dreadful.

It feels awful for you now, but believe me, you will feel better in time. The things I mentioned will help, honestly, but do see a dentist quick smart if things don't improve.x

[roxy90]

thank you all so much. I've had two teeth out before and never had anything like this. Very very upset I need to go back :(