Signs of an infection?

[pa1n]

The left side of my lower jaw feels a bit weird, as if the wiring has loosened a bit.

I'm also worried about a possible infection but am unsure what the signs of infection are. Can someone help me out in listing what symptoms i may be experiencing if it was an infection? As far as i can tell, there is no swelling but i'm not sure if that's enough to say theres no infection.

I'm 2 years post-op.

[boodles8]

Signs of infection include things like swelling (you mentioned this one already); pain especially if it's new, increasing, or doesn't go away as expected; redness, which you won't probably won't see in your case; heat, which, again, you may or may not notice; loss of function, in reference more to joints where you can't move it anymore; fever often, but not always, accompanies infection.

In our case, because the surgical site isn't visible in the same sense a toe or a finger is, pain is probably the primary indicator. I wouldn't think feeling loose indicates infection. That said, sometimes those things we notice that are just "off" are the very beginning of something bigger. Keep an eye on it, and if it gets worrisome, maybe call your surgeon. The down side of that is you're far enough post-op you'll probably have to pay for an office visit.

Even if it's not starting to act painful, you might want to call. It's up to you. I always err on the side of caution when it comes to calling docs.

Good luck.