Expert: Zev Kaufman, D.D.S. - 10/16/2008

Question
Hi.  Seven and a half days ago I had two teeth extracted and a temprary bridge put in.  My dentist also had to cut back my gumline during the procedure.

I was very numb afterwards and although I was given pain medication, I was only in moderate pain and Ibuprofen seemed to help for the most part.

5 days later the pain worsened greatly.  I went back to the dentist today.  He took out the bridge, cleaned the area and put the temporary back in.

After the numbness wore off I felt worse pain than ever.  I've now had to resort to the pain medication along with the ibuprofen, but it still seems I am in too much pain.  (I have a pretty high tolerance to pain).

The permenant bridgewqork will be done next Wednesday (in 7 days).

Is it normal to have this amount of discomfort after this long and should I call the doctor AGAIN to have it checked out?  It's to the point of unbearable if I'm not medicated and I don't feel I need to be taking medication after this long.

I'm using my oral rinse and following all instructions.

Thanks!

Ashley Collins

Answer
Dear Ashley:
I am so sorry that I cannot examine you personally to see what is wrong.  No.  You should not have such severe pain after the procedure.  The pain could be the result of several things, but without a proper examination, I could not even attempt to give you a diagnosis.
If  your doctor does not have a good answer for you, I would recommend going to the Prosthdontist (the specialist in restorative, cosmetic, and implant dentistry) or the Periodontist (the specialist in the tissues or the gums and bones) and get an examination and a diagnosis.  I would also recommend going to someone who is independent of the dentist trating you.  You want an un-biased opinion.
To locate a Prosthodontist near you go to www.prosthodontics.org and for a Periodontist go to www.perio.org.  I would prefer that you go to a Prosthodontist, since he/she is the proper person to ask about the quality of the provisional work that you received.  The quality of the provisional is usually a good indicator as to the quality of the final work.  However, there are not too many Prosthodontists so if you are having troubles, please feel free to call me at the office.  My info is at www.DrZevKaufman.com.
Best wishes,
Dr. Zev Kaufman