5 weeks post op - still in a lot of pain

[sarahdistortion]

Hi, I'm new to this forum but could really use some support and help and guidance.
I got my bottom wisdom teeth extracted 5 weeks ago. There weren't any complications, save for the right tooth had to be dug out a little, apparently. But the surgeon said it was fine.
I followed all the rules and recovery was as hard as I'd imagined but then about 2 weeks in I was worried I had maybe developed a dry socket because the pain had increased. Surgeon confirmed it was a mild one, gave me a syringe to clean my mouth and then this SockIt stuff to fill up the hole before I ate and/or whenever it was painful. It must've worked because the pain on that side went away.
HOWEVER, my left side then started hurting a lot. Went back and they packed it with the clove oil packings. It hasn't gotten better but it hasn't worse either. It's now been 5 weeks. I'm still in pain and have take advil everyday. It's manageable with the medication but not once it wears off. It's deep in my jaw, often radiating up into my ear. It's worse if I have to chew anything remotely hard.
Doc says there isn't an infection, xray looks fine, and he cant see any exposed bone
Did anyone else have a super long healing time? Is there potentially something else wrong? Just looking for a light at the end of the tunnel
Thank you!!!

 

[Scootsmagoots86]

Hey there,
I can’t imagine how hard and frustrating this must be for you. I’m on day 9 of recovery and still have pain in my jaw from both my lower extractions so I couldn’t imagine being 5 weeks in and still dealing with it. Did the doctor give you any options or discuss further investigation to find the issue? Or did they just simply say everything looks fine and the pain will end when it ends?

I’m meeting with my surgeon today to do a post op and am worried for how long my healing is going to take. I hope someone gets back to you soon about their experience and can shed some light for you or at least give you some encouragement.

Keep your head up and don’t let anxiety or depression push you around. There will come a time when you look back on this and remember it as a small blip on your life. It just seems like forever right now.

All the best
Scott

 

[sarahdistortion]

Hey there,
I can’t imagine how hard and frustrating this must be for you. I’m on day 9 of recovery and still have pain in my jaw from both my lower extractions so I couldn’t imagine being 5 weeks in and still dealing with it. Did the doctor give you any options or discuss further investigation to find the issue? Or did they just simply say everything looks fine and the pain will end when it ends?

I’m meeting with my surgeon today to do a post op and am worried for how long my healing is going to take. I hope someone gets back to you soon about their experience and can shed some light for you or at least give you some encouragement.

Keep your head up and don’t let anxiety or depression push you around. There will come a time when you look back on this and remember it as a small blip on your life. It just seems like forever right now.

All the best
Scott

Thank you for the kind words! That means a lot to me and is helpful to remember.

The doc didn't give me any further options, I decided to have the packing taken our last saturday, just to see if it made a difference or not. I haven't been back since, mostly because I was so sick of going, I needed a break. Nobody there made it seem like it was terribly out of the ordinary that I was still in pain, but I know it's not normal, just from reading around on the internet. They do say everything looks fine though.
I'm going to wait and see how I feel on Monday and call again.
Thank you again for the kindness!

 

[Rebelllll]

Hi, I'm new to this forum but could really use some support and help and guidance.
I got my bottom wisdom teeth extracted 5 weeks ago. There weren't any complications, save for the right tooth had to be dug out a little, apparently. But the surgeon said it was fine.
I followed all the rules and recovery was as hard as I'd imagined but then about 2 weeks in I was worried I had maybe developed a dry socket because the pain had increased. Surgeon confirmed it was a mild one, gave me a syringe to clean my mouth and then this SockIt stuff to fill up the hole before I ate and/or whenever it was painful. It must've worked because the pain on that side went away.
HOWEVER, my left side then started hurting a lot. Went back and they packed it with the clove oil packings. It hasn't gotten better but it hasn't worse either. It's now been 5 weeks. I'm still in pain and have take advil everyday. It's manageable with the medication but not once it wears off. It's deep in my jaw, often radiating up into my ear. It's worse if I have to chew anything remotely hard.
Doc says there isn't an infection, xray looks fine, and he cant see any exposed bone
Did anyone else have a super long healing time? Is there potentially something else wrong? Just looking for a light at the end of the tunnel
Thank you!!!

I’m having a very similar issue. I had all 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed on 6/1/18 (exactly 6 weeks ago) and the healing process has not been pleasant. I’m 34 years old so I was assured by my surgeon at my follow up on 6/19/18 that everything I was experiencing was totally normal due to my ‘advanced age’ (LOL). He told me that the jaw pain I was having was normal and that I could go ahead and start eating everything again to work those muscles. For the next couple of weeks the pain seemed to be getting less and less each day and I really felt like I was ‘over the hump’ as far as healing was concerned. However, last week the lower right side of my jaw really started hurting again (the same area that was giving me the most issues this entire time). I started taking OTC painkillers again daily to deal, and I found myself avoiding eating because I knew that it would cause the pain to get worse. I feel like a crazy person because the pain is hard to explain and seems to jump around (I know, it sounds dumb). Sometimes the entire right side of my face hurts from my lips, cheekbone, jaw and up into my ear, and it’s like a dull, achy pain. Sometimes it’s just one small area and it might be a sudden, sharp pain. If I eat something that requires a lot of chewing then my whole jaw will hurt and it goes down into my throat/neck area. I’m going to call the oral surgeon’s office today and see what they say, but I am so sick of being in pain!

 

[sarahdistortion]

I’m having a very similar issue. I had all 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed on 6/1/18 (exactly 6 weeks ago) and the healing process has not been pleasant. I’m 34 years old so I was assured by my surgeon at my follow up on 6/19/18 that everything I was experiencing was totally normal due to my ‘advanced age’ (LOL). He told me that the jaw pain I was having was normal and that I could go ahead and start eating everything again to work those muscles. For the next couple of weeks the pain seemed to be getting less and less each day and I really felt like I was ‘over the hump’ as far as healing was concerned. However, last week the lower right side of my jaw really started hurting again (the same area that was giving me the most issues this entire time). I started taking OTC painkillers again daily to deal, and I found myself avoiding eating because I knew that it would cause the pain to get worse. I feel like a crazy person because the pain is hard to explain and seems to jump around (I know, it sounds dumb). Sometimes the entire right side of my face hurts from my lips, cheekbone, jaw and up into my ear, and it’s like a dull, achy pain. Sometimes it’s just one small area and it might be a sudden, sharp pain. If I eat something that requires a lot of chewing then my whole jaw will hurt and it goes down into my throat/neck area. I’m going to call the oral surgeon’s office today and see what they say, but I am so sick of being in pain!

I am also 34!! Maybe it is because our "advanced age" (seriously LOL). You've described the pain i'm experiencing exactly. Mine jumps around too.

Let me know what your oral surgeon says! I can't reach mine till Monday.

 

[Rebelllll]

I am also 34!! Maybe it is because our "advanced age" (seriously LOL). You've described the pain i'm experiencing exactly. Mine jumps around too.

Let me know what your oral surgeon says! I can't reach mine till Monday.

One thing I forgot to mention is that after eating a meal the right side of my tongue and roof of my mouth also hurt. I was thinking that it may have something to do with nerve damage?? It was obviously mentioned at my pre-op appt that nerve damage was a possibility, but I feel like it was seriously downplayed. After doing lots of research online, it’s apparently REALLY common, esp with older patients.

 

[sarahdistortion]

One thing I forgot to mention is that after eating a meal the right side of my tongue and roof of my mouth also hurt. I was thinking that it may have something to do with nerve damage?? It was obviously mentioned at my pre-op appt that nerve damage was a possibility, but I feel like it was seriously downplayed. After doing lots of research online, it’s apparently REALLY common, esp with older patients.

I'd always heard that nerve damage = numbness, not pain??

 

[Scootsmagoots86]

Ya I don’t think nerve damage would be the cause. It could be a mix of dry socket and some tmj. I can tell you currently when I don’t chew too long my jaw will get sore but once I start chewing (with some pain involved) it’s like the muscles get going and the pain lessens

 

[Rebelllll]

I'd always heard that nerve damage = numbness, not pain??

That’s what I mean by it being downplayed... My surgeon told me that nerve damage was a remote possibility but it was unlikely, they just have to mention it because it is more common the older you are. They also said that nerve damage wouldn’t hurt, just cause numbness. However... after doing lots of research online I’m finding out that it’s much more common than they let on, and that it’s not just numbness.. it can actually cause tingling, pricking and/or tickling sensations, burning, and dull, achy pain. After the anesthesia completely wore off, my lip & chin were still numb for a couple weeks, but slowly got less and less numb with each day. As the numbness subsided, I started feeling tingling and it would feel like my lip or chin was being tickled by a hair or feather or something. Now I’m not feeling the tickling/tingling sensation anymore, but just pain (not constant pain) in those same places (lip & chin, but also lower jaw, cheekbone area and up to my ear). I’m trying not to automatically go to the worst case scenario, I’m really not a “health worrier” in general, but I feel like everything I’m experiencing is due to nerve damage somehow and I’m hoping that it’ll just take tine to heal.

 

[Rebelllll]

I am also 34!! Maybe it is because our "advanced age" (seriously LOL). You've described the pain i'm experiencing exactly. Mine jumps around too.

Let me know what your oral surgeon says! I can't reach mine till Monday.

So the pain was terrible over the weekend, much worse than when I originally posted. I saw my oral surgeon this morning and he seemed to think that the pain was due to a “small” infection... and that it would resolve on its own, so no need to prescribe antibiotics. He basically described it like a pimple inside that would go away in time. I’m still processing this info and I’m really not sure what to think.. This whole thing has been so difficult, I really wish that dentists and oral surgeons were a bit more up front about the possible side effects.