Metal Mouth Message Board

i am almost 6 weeks post op and the last 2 days i have returned pain on my right side, intense and constant about a 5 out of 10 the pain starts near where the incision is all the way up to my ear, and hurts when i try to chew or swallow, i see the surgeon this afternoon thankfully for a routine check up.
is there any way this coud still be infection? has anyone had to have screws taken out? last night the pain was intense and kept me awake most of the night and this morning i am more swollen on that side and more then i have been for a while

GRANTED, I havent had my surgery yet.

But, if there is new swelling that wasnt there before, my money is on either a slight infection, or something is rubbing/irritating you somehow.

Just ask your surgeon, thats why they go to med school or whatever

Hope everything goes well at your appt today.
Honestly, it could be anything at this point and infection is definitely a concern. However, I had similar problems at between 4-8 weeks post-op. A few other people here have had those problems as well. It usually turns out to be related to the tmj joint and muscles surrounding it. In my case, I was pulling on my jaw when I slept. The pain was shooting down my neck. It's part of healing and goes away on it's own.

Hope you feel better soon and hope it's just part of the healing process and not an infection.

thanks Ozzysmom
i went to the OS and after a close look i had 6 brackets off of my teeth all the way back to the molar...he figures the tension this was causing the bone was causing me all the pain, i went right to the ortho and (painfully) he re attached them, i still have the pain and the OS wants to see me again monday afternoon to check it out and see where to place bands, the brackets being off for 2 weeks(they were both closed over the holidays ) has caused a slight open bite on my right side and now my back molars dont meet on that side they both assured me it can be fixed with bands i sure hope so!!! It is a depressing set back and even more frustrating the pain woke me up every few hours again last night...

Oh, poor you- but remember your teeth are moveable- they'll get to their correct positions - don't worry!

today has been a rough day the lack of sleep from this new pain is starting to get to me
the really cruddy thing is that i can barely open my mouth with all the inflamation in my right joint by my temple. i was open more then one finger apart now i can barely sqeeze a pill in there such a depressing back track...hope it gets better soon and the surgeon can help when i see him again on monday

what a rough night!!!
i was most of it with throbbing pain on my right side and am sure that i have an infection
i called my OS emergency number and they are calling me a perscription of antibotics and t-3 right now
i see the OS tomorrow afternoon
the pain just kept getting worse and last night i hit a level 10
hope those antibotics kick in fast

awww hope you feel better soon!!!

thanks blinderboarder 2008 and Ozzysmom,
i have a long hard day but i am hopeful that the meds start working so i can get a few hours of sleep tonight

the really strange thing is that when i try to figure out where the pain is it feels like it is my top teeth at the back (where nothing was done) wonder if there is anyway i got a piece of food or something crammed in there and it is causing infection? i have been brushing after i eat but i am certain that i cant get it as good as it should, and now that i am swollen again i cant even get a baby tooth brush in my inside of my teeth,.,. maybe this infection is not even related to my jaw surgery????
hope the OS takes an xray tomorrow or can give me some answers

seen the OS today and i am not feeling any better
i had a total of 6 brackets off for 2 weeks and it has caused an open bite on one side
i am now on antibotics for an infection that they dont understand they think that perhaps the muscle is infected or over strained due to the pulling from having brackets off , that is what is causing my new pain after 6 weeks post op i can now barely open my mouth and they are trying different ways to use the bands to try to close the open bite in the mean time i can barely eat, talk and i am in constant pain......just needed to vent

I'm so sorry that you are going through so much. I pray you feel better very soon.

I strained my jaw muscles a few times before surgery and it is very painful, could barely even swallow my own spit, everything was useless! Talking was difficult as well. I was treated with anti-inflamatories and muscle relaxants. Are they trying those on you?

the OS gave me some muscle relaxants yesterday that i took before bed last night and was still up most of the night in extreme pain, i know can tell it is muscle and or nerve pain it is not in the bone and shoots to my temple and ear
the pain hits about a level 9
the combo advil and tylenol takes the edge off
thanks for the prayers Ozzysmom i need all that i can get
right now i am seriously regretting surgery and not sure how much more of this pain i can take
i know with the new placement of bands the muscle is screaming but hope tonight is better, and as the days go on it gets better

Jaw surgery puts significant strain on the TMJ's and that generally leads to pain in the temple and ear regions. That can take a while(perhaps weeks!) to get better. If your pain is a nine then you need to get stronger painkillers from your surgeon. Advil and Tylenol have similar effects so taking the normal dosage of each at the same time is like taking a double dose of either and that can be very toxic for your liver.

the OS has given me tyelnol 3s and they didnt work at all
not sure what else they could give me