I had a tooth extraction on an upper molar three weeks ago. I thought the pain would be gone by now. The mornings start out okay, just a bit achy, but by the end of the day it is throbbing so much that I want to cry. There is also some pain in my lower jaw and part of my cheek will go a bit numb. Is this normal? Can I do anything to make it any easier?
Myka
Dear Myka,
I am sorry for what you’re feeling. Some of what is going on with your tooth extraction is normal; others ar not. The part that is normal is the throbbing getting worse as the day moves on. This is because of increased blood flow from activity. Referred pain is also quite common, so your bottom arch hurting could be from that. However, what isn’t normal is the length of time. Any pain like this should be gone within the first week.
I want you to contact your dentist. My guess is that you have a residual infection. You don’t want this to turn into a dental emergency. I think your dentist would give you an antibiotic like Clindamycin until the pain is gone for several days.
Once your tooth extraction is completely healed, you will need to replace the tooth that you had removed. The best tooth replacement is a dental implant. It will be the closest thing to having a healthy natural tooth in your mouth again.
As for the numbness you are feeling, that could be from a nerve getting touched in the process of the extraction. That will get better with time. It is important that you communicate with your dentist what is going on. If there is a residual infection as I suspect, it will only get worse.
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