I took my daughter in to get her wisdom teeth pulled on Tuesday and she came through it like a champ. The doctor prescribed her pain medicine, but said she might not need it after a couple of days. She seemed to be doing ok by Friday and even came off her pain meds, but overnight her lower right jaw began hurting again and she was in tears. Now the pain medicine doesn’t seem to be helping at all. I took a look and I saw a white spot back there. Is this normal? Is it possible he left some of the tooth in there and that’s why she hurts? I’m not sure what to do. It’s the weekend now and I’m sure the dentist is closed, but maybe I can find some sort of emergency dentist if she needs to get in.
Thanks in advance,
Mary
Dear Mary,
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “No pain, no gain.” This does NOT apply to dentistry. Any time a person experiences extreme pain as you are describing, it’s urgent they contact their dentist or an emergency dentist right away to find and treat the cause before it progresses. Some dental offices are open on weekends or will come in for emergencies. I would start by first calling your dentist and double checking whether they’re in or not. Dentists generally leave instructions or emergency protocol on their answering machine for when patients need help outside of business hours. If you have trouble contacting your regular dentist (or the oral surgeon if she saw a specialist for the extractions), do an online search to see who’s available to see her today. There’s no need for her to suffer.
As for the cause of her pain, I don’t think she hurts because he left tooth behind. Occasionally, a tooth breaks during an extraction and a small piece will remain buried in the tissue. This is fairly uncommon, but patients tend to describe it more as a feeling that something is poking them or perhaps an itchy, uncomfortable feeling. It does not generally cause the type of pain your daughter is experiencing.
As the area heals after an extraction a blood clot forms to help protect the wound, much like a scab will do for a skin injury. If this clot is dissolved or disturbed, there is little to nothing to shield the nerves and bone, which, as you can imagine, is very painful. This condition is known as dry socket and based on your description is the likely culprit of your daughter’s discomfort. It is possible for dry socket to heal on its own, but I wouldn’t recommend it due to the level of discomfort, the high risk for infection and the additional time it will take to recover from the extraction. Treatment for dry socket is fairly simple, but it’s best to have your dentist give a proper diagnosis and proceed from there. Whatever the cause of the pain, it’s not normal and she should seek treatment as soon as possible.
This blog is sponsored by Port St. Lucie emergency dentist, Dr. Schamback.