Expert: Jeff Dalin DDS - 12/11/2005

Question
I went to the dentist four days ago.  She replaced the old silver fillings in the back two teeth on the top of my mouth.  When she applied the topical anesthetic, it badly burned and I got immediately dizzy and shaky.  Everything went fine and that evening I just needed an ibuprofen to manage the soreness in my jaw.  The following day, I woke up to find my cheek on that side hurt and had swollen.  Since then, the swelling has not gone down, but has localized in two areas in my mouth.  The first part is where she injected the needle for the anesthetic, and the other is along my jaw bone.  The area along my jaw bone has swollen quite a bit and the tenderness extends down my neck, but only in a very specific line from my mouth.  

The other symptom I have is that my lower lip on that side of my face has swollen up.  The teeth themselves, are fine.  I have no sensitivity to heat and no pain of any sort around any tooth or gum.  

I’ve contacted my dentist, who has told me she thinks its just anxiety.  I have waited four days, and the swelling and pain have gone down only slightly.  Is this something I need to worry about?  If I switch dentists in the future, is there anything I need to tell him or her?


Answer
Anna,
Anxiety does not cause swelling. You need to see your dentist...not call her. You might have bitten your lip while you were numb. You might need antibiotics if the swelling gets worse. I wonder if you had some sort of reaction to the topical anesthetic or whatever she used. Has she used the same things in the past? So call her back and get in there tomorrow.

Good luck,

jeff dalin, dds