{"id":1090,"date":"2021-08-11T14:22:02","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T19:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regiondental.com\/blog\/?p=1090"},"modified":"2021-08-09T14:22:35","modified_gmt":"2021-08-09T19:22:35","slug":"lingering-infection-after-extraction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regiondental.com\/blog\/lingering-infection-after-extraction\/","title":{"rendered":"Dealing With A Lingering Infection After An Extraction"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had a root canal performed over a year and a half ago, and my endodontist said there were C-shaped roots and that she was hoping it worked. She gave me the standard antibiotic regimen and told me to follow up with my regular dentist. I followed her directions, and when I had my routine cleaning 6 weeks later, I mentioned to the hygienist that I was still dealing with some pain. They took an x-ray, but since my dentist wasn’t there that day, they said they would have him take a look and give me a call.<\/p>\n

My dentist never called back, so I thought that meant everything was fine, but when I went back for the next routine cleaning, I told them that I still had pain. They took an x-ray and said it showed there was an infection, and I was told to call my endodontist for a follow-up. It was a holiday, so my dentist prescribed penicillin pills and scheduled an appointment for me later in the month.<\/p>\n

About one month later, I ended up having the tooth pulled by an oral-maxillofacial surgeon, and I have since had improvements. However, I do still have pain in my jaw directly under where the tooth was extracted. The tooth socket has healed, and several symptoms have improved, but I am still concerned there may still be an infection in the jaw bone.<\/p>\n

My faith and trust in my dentist have been shaken, and the dentist that pulled the tooth never even scheduled a follow-up with me. Is it possible that I still have an infection in my jaw? In your opinion, how should I proceed with this? I greatly appreciate your time. Thank you.<\/p>\n

-Rylee from Arizona<\/p>\n

Rylee,<\/p>\n

A failed root canal<\/a> can often be fixed with re-treatment or root canal surgery. However, extraction is sometimes necessary, as you have experienced.<\/p>\n

It’s too bad that your dentist wasn’t more on top of this, but I wouldn’t fault the oral surgeon for not scheduling a follow-up after what he or she probably saw as a routine extraction.\u00a0It is rare for there to be a lingering infection in the bone after a simple extraction of a tooth because the open socket leaves a clear path for drainage, so your body has no trouble getting rid of the infection. Occasionally, you can get a post-operative infection if the tooth is fully impacted and the tissue is sutured closed over the extraction site. From what you have explained, it sounds like your jaw healed normally.<\/p>\n

But the lingering pain is a concern, so I would have it checked out. There are some cases where an infection can linger after an infected tooth is removed. Such a situation would require a strong dose of antibiotics. I would recommend that you go back to the oral surgeon and get evaluated. If you do still have an infection, I would imagine your surgeon would stay clear of penicillin since you already were on that. If you do happen to have a lingering infection<\/a>, it is probably penicillin-resistant. I would try a strong antibiotic like clindamycin or some other antibiotic that isn’t penicillin.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa emergency dentist<\/a> Dr. Ryan Noah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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