I'm 35 and had 5 wisdom teeth out 8 days ago (yes I had an extra one) under a general anesthetic. I never had very much pain from the actual extraction areas, just what was to be expected. But ever since I have had a chronic headache and pain along my jaw, particularly one the right upper side close to my ear. I went back and explained this to the oral surgeon a couple of days ago, he looked inside my mouth and commented how good a job I have done keeping my mouth clean, that it seems to be healing well and said he doesn't think it's an infection based on a visual examination and the fact I don't have any other symptoms (fever etc). He mentioned that I shouldn't be in this much pain at this stage but that was it. He gave me a script for endone and Valium (as I have not managed to get more than 2 hours sleep each night - due to waking up in pain from the headache and jaw pain). Even the endone combined with paracetamol does not get rid of the headache or jaw pain. Now I have to wait another week to go back for another follow up. My personal belief is that he was heavy handed getting the teeth out and maybe put additional stress on my jaw, which is causing the jaw pain, and the headaches are a by product of this. of course he isn't going to admit to this. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?
Hi Michael
8 extractions! Of wisdom teeth...way in the rear most reaches of your mouth!! Some up top!! Some on thr bottom!!
Michael, what else have you ever done that required you to fully open your mouth as wide as you can and hold that position all the while laying back in a chair while some fellow gets his nifty pliers out and yanks hard because the good Lord cemented our teeth inside a bone that also cradles your brain, all the while being attached to your neck by bunches of muscles that were traumatized from holding still for who know how long..
And you think ...what?
Relax and breath,
judith
Your message doesn't really make sense but turns out after going back to my normal dentist and having an X-ray 12 days after the extraction, there is a fracture near my cheek/jaw bone.
I'm not sure if you have had your wisdom teeth out Judith but prior to the X-ray both my dentist and oral surgeon agreed that the pain I was experiencing is out of ordinary given the amount of time that passed since removal. The oral surgeon ordered blood tests which recently came back fine.
So for your future reference, severe pain in the cheek/jaw area, accompanied by a chronic headache (both lasting almost 2 weeks), neither which reacted to pain medication and which prevented me from sleeping for more than 1 to 2 hours a night, is not a normal side effect of having wisdom teeth removed. And this is not resolved by "breathing" as you suggested.
Hi Michael,
Wow, how are you feeling now? On top of the immense amount of work you had done in one sitting, you sustained a facial fracture...I am truly sorry.
Actually I have had all of my wisdom teeth extracted just not in one sitting...in fact after thyroid cancer I lost many, many more teeth, not to mention a bout with osteonecrosis of the mandible. Lost quite a section of my jawbone.
I certainly was not making light of your suffering...simply pointing out that you had a lot of work done in a single sitting, work done top and bottom, as far back as one can reach .
Michael, I considered the 8 days, the fact that you had returned for additional consult, and the positions your head would have been positioned to while you slept under anesthesia. You also mentioned that you thought that your doc had been heavy handed...frankly, the only way to extract well seated teeth is to grab on and forcefully wiggle them back and forth and pull. Teeth are bones that are held by other bones.
I am glad you were able to wait longer before returning for further medical assistance so that the further distance from surgery presenting with unresolved symptoms distinguished themselves
I attempted to cheer you up by using some levity to sum up the ordeal you went through, trusting you would relax after a chuckle acknowledging that.. yeah, I did go through a lot, I should hurt from all I went through.
So, how are they treating the fracture...what outcome should be expected.
kind regards
judith
Update - almost 4 weeks on, and kilos of prescription drugs I think the pain in my jaw/head is starting to subside.
I feel like the inside of my mouth is healing well, although I can't see in there to be able to tell. Still feel like Stitches hasn't dissolved.
All in all I wish I hadn't have bothered with the procedure, but it's done now, and hopefully the worst of it is behind me.
Hi Michael
Finally, so happy that things are finally going up.
I found that shining a flashlight in my mouth as I looked into a mirror allowed me to see inside.
It was weeks before my gums completely healed.
Cold things felt better and tasted better to me.
May each day bring improvement
hugs
judith
Thanks for the info
Great reply that!.... Not!
When people are in pain like this, I dont think you poor taste in humour is appreciated. People come on forums like this to get answers and maybe relate to someone who has had a similar experience. If People want to make light of the situation they will go and sit in the front row of a Jimmy Carr show! They do not come on forums to be patronized by an idiot like yourself!!!!!
Hi Michael,
Howz ur headache now? I am Sameer and I had my wisdom tooth removed one week ago and I am having the same symptoms which you have mentioned above. I would like to know what triggered this headache and what resolved this headache. I am waiting reply from your side. Anyway, Thanking you in advance for helping me in regarding this.
Hello Sameer.
How's your headache? Gone I hope!!! I'm on day 11 and still can't sleep. What if anything worked for you? After 9 different comment NO ONE mentioned what worked or when they (headaches) were over!!! Please help..
Hi Sameer - sorry for the delay in the response. I feel like i was stuck in this vicious pain cycle with mine for months, and the only thing that worked for me was going out and having ALOT of alcohol to drink during a friends bday celebrations, I woke up the next morning and was instantly better. Seems strange, and I have no scientific proof to back it up, but my thoughts are I was in this cycle and needed to break it, and the alcohol did that for me. The orthodontist seemed to think it was a muscle issue and was just wanting to prescribe more tablets, I didnt trust alot of what he said.
Hi Shawn - I had the headache and jaw pain for almost two months. My orthodontist just kept precscribing more tablets, which I think I became immune to. He had me on so many that the Dr's said they dont know how I had been able to function and go to work etc, let alone drive a car. The only thing that worked for me, was drinking alot of alcohol at a friends birthday. I felt like it shocked the pain cycle and got rid of it, somehow. Have you got rid of yours? My orthodontist seemed to say it was a muscle issue, however Im not sure I believe him
I am on day 12 post op. I had 2 wisdom teeth on my left side removed as well as the 2 teeth just beside each. Both wisdom teeth were impacted. Bottom wisdom was completely bony and was very deep in the jaw. I was put to sleep twice during the procedure, as I woke up in the middle of it. The procedure was only suppose to last 1 hour........it took 2. I am still in a lot of pain. I was taking ibuprofen 800mg. every 8 hours and hydrocodone 7.5/325 every r hours for the first give days. I switched to ibuprofen 800mg every 8 hours and tylenol 1000mg every 5/6 hours after that. I am still currently taking both regularly because the pain won't seem to let up. It is horrible when I sleep. I do have a history of TMJ and I grind my teeth very bad. The surgeon has told me that everything is healing great, but same as you, no xrays. My pain too is in my ear, up my jaw and into my temple. I'm wondering if it is because of the trauma to the area or if maybe I have a small fracture somewhere. Mouth pain is the absolute worst.
My oral surgeon couldn't explain why I was getting pain, said it must have been strain on the muscles when they removed them, which I didn't really believe, hence the X-ray, which said I had a small fracture. Might be worth a second opinion with another dentist.
Greetings,
I'm glad I found this discussion as I feel like I'm losing my mind. I just had my wisdom teeth out only 5 days ago but it feels like yesterday. I am getting migraines upon migraines and my jaw feels like someone held it open for days. I'm tired of people asking me how I feel because all I feel like I'm doing is complaining and no one understands how it feels.
Everyone keeps saying it's going to get better but I'd like to know when. I'm not sleeping because of the earache, headache, jaw aches and my other teeth even hurt.
How has everyone else got through it? Any suggestions?
Does anyone else wish other people could feel what you do so that they would just understand? If if it's just for a few minutes.
Michael, how long did it take for you to feel better?
Hi Alicia,
I'm also having the same problem. I am on my 8th day of recovery (I had all 4 wisdom teeth removed) and I have a lot of facial pain. I have some pain in my jaw and occasionally my ear, but most of my pain is in my temple - a relentless throbbing pain. Sometimes pain medication helps, but it's still just so uncomfortable and distracting I have a hard time doing daily activities and working. I've been to my oral surgeon twice since the surgery and all he says is "everything looks great and is healing well" but he kinda seems to ignore my concerns about facial pain and sends me on my way. I'm starting to wonder if I have a fractured jaw too like Michael. Are you doing any better? Have you been back to your dentist to express your concern?
Hi Michael,
I'm having similar symptoms as you did with awful face pain, generally my temples but occasionally my upper jaw and ears. Pain medication sometimes helps, but I'm on my 8th day of recovery (I had all 4 removed) and the pain is so uncomfortable and distracting I have a hard time doing daily activities and working, Did your oral surgeon explain why your jaw was fractured? And was the jaw fracture the cause of your headaches? The pain in my temples is unbearable and I'd like to know if I should go back to my doctor. I've been back twice for this pain but he ignores my concerns and just says "Everything looks great and is healing well" and sends me on my way. I've always had a high pain tolerance so I feel like something's got to be wrong.
Hi michael60452
I had 4 wisdomteeth extracted under conscious sedation (midazolam) 6days ago. I saw the dentist again yesterday as I had ongoing constant jaw aching and pressure. I've been on Codeine and Ibuprfen since the op. I was told by the dentists I have "delayed healing". Pain relief so far has done little except take the edge off. However I tried clove oil today and got some relief! It's a natural anesthetic and has been used for centuries to treat tooth ache. Just be very careful to use only a very small amount as it is toxic in large doses. All sources recommend a "dab" which I then further diluted with water and applied to my gums with a cotton-tip. Be aware it doesn't taste the best either. But when it eases the discomfort, who cares!
Hope this helps anyone the reads it, and is struggling with pain after tooth extraction.
Dear patient3596 Thanks for your input... But my problem was not from jaw pain but from a HANGOVER like headache that lasted for 16 days.. Seriously like the worst hangover headache ever... That being said I had quit drinking 2years prior to surgery. But I have heard that if you have a toothache to put A CLOVE between the problem tooth and cheek.