Locked jaw after wisdom tooth Removal

[PALAT]

I am in Texas,
I got my wisdom tooth removed on 14th Feb 2008, ... right side, .. top and bottom, ....
ever since that day, .. i cannot open my mouth more then 0.5 inch, .... (a fingers gap)
i thought i was healing from the extraction and it will get better, .. but it hasnt, .. i have gonne back to my doctor, .... and he has precribed, .. antibotics, .... i have been having them for a couple of days, .. (its of no use)
he called in to check as to how i was doing, .... ... i told him there is no change, .. so he has asked to me increase the dosage to twice, .. and he said, .. he will call back and check, ....
and thru this whole time, .. he seems to be freaked out, .... and doesnt charge for his consultation, .....
i dont care about all that, .. but i am in pain and uncomfortable, .. as i cannot open my mouth, .. and eat the kind of food i want, .....
i think, .. he's broken my jaw bone maybe, .....
(FYI, ... the antibotics that he has precribed are a muscle relaxent)
can i sue my dentist****************************

 

[las365]

For the love of God, please use proper punctuation. Sentences end with periods.

You need to go to a different doctor and get an examination (and probably x-rays) to see whether your jaw is broken and if it is, get proper treatment.

Discussion of whether to sue your dentist is premature.

 

[Hot Topic]

I seriously doubt that your jaw is broken. Remember that you had both the top and bottom wisdom teeth done in one session, which has been a tremendous shock to your system.

Antibiotics can take awhile to work, and you should take all that were prescribed, even when you start to feel better.

Antibiotics and muscle relaxants are not the same thing, and no doctor would confuse the two.

 

[las365]

I don't know, I had my wisdom teeth (all four at once!) removed a few years ago and as I recall, I could open my mouth afterward. My jaw was very sore, in fact I'm pretty sure it felt like someone had tried to rip it off of my head, but it didn't seem "locked," especially 3 weeks later.

I wasn't able to eat the kind of food I usually did for several weeks, though. Chewing really hurt.

 

[lealea1005]

I agree with both previous posters. Go get another opinion from a different Doctor. Although having your jaw fractured would be rare, it can happen and would be best to have it ruled out. Most likely, he's thinking you have acute TMJ, which is why he gave you muscle relaxers. Simply put, TMJ occurs when the muscles of your jaw do not work together correctly. It causes your jaw to become stiff and sore, making chewing, yawning, eating, etc., to become painful. It's pretty common in people who have had dental surgery. Even with the proper excercises and meds, it could take weeks for the muscle to return to full mobility.

To successfully sue your dentist, you will need to prove negligence and loss.

 

[ecmst12]

In my experience, which consists of the many people I know who have had their wisdom teeth out, reactions to the procedure vary widely. Some people were out of commission and on pain killers for weeks, others were fine in a few days. "Dry socket" I have heard is a particularly painful side effect that some people experience.

 

[lealea1005]

PALAT,
As you can see, from all of our posts, there could be a few different things going on. Find another Doc and get their opinion.

Good luck.

 

[barry1817]

wisdom teeth, and problems

I am in Texas,
I got my wisdom tooth removed on 14th Feb 2008, ... right side, .. top and bottom, ....
ever since that day, .. i cannot open my mouth more then 0.5 inch, .... (a fingers gap)
i thought i was healing from the extraction and it will get better, .. but it hasnt, .. i have gonne back to my doctor, .... and he has precribed, .. antibotics, .... i have been having them for a couple of days, .. (its of no use)
he called in to check as to how i was doing, .... ... i told him there is no change, .. so he has asked to me increase the dosage to twice, .. and he said, .. he will call back and check, ....
and thru this whole time, .. he seems to be freaked out, .... and doesnt charge for his consultation, .....
i dont care about all that, .. but i am in pain and uncomfortable, .. as i cannot open my mouth, .. and eat the kind of food i want, .....
i think, .. he's broken my jaw bone maybe, .....
(FYI, ... the antibotics that he has precribed are a muscle relaxent)
can i sue my dentist****************************

I don't know what your dentist is thinking in regards to antibiotics for the treatment of after effects of wisdom teeth being extracted. Antibiotics are for infections, not for muscle trauma after an extraction. That alone would have me seeking another dentist.

Dry socket would have pain all the time, not when trying to open your jaw. Is that the case? (it didn't sound that way from your post)

After the trauma that your system has experienced from the extraction, and one can liken it to a patient that had a broken arm and was in a cast, the jaw muscles don't want to be used because they hurt. You might be looking at heat and having to work to have the muscles open wider, and past experience has been that it is painful and can take time.

Sitting back and relying on antibiotics doesn't seem to be the answer to trauma.

If this was a general dentist, you want to see a specialist, oral surgeon. And the quicker the consultation the better.

When this is over, you may want to review what your dentist did, or did not to, to treat your post op trauma and decide what actions you might want to take.

 

[AnnetteL]

Just peeking in - I hope things work out for you. I had all 4 of my removed at once and it took me a good month before my mouth "acted right" - chewing, opening, anything. Good luck!

 

[PALAT]

the latest diagonosis on me, **************....
Disc displacement(TMJ) after Wisdom Tooth extraction


I had got my wisdom extracted (right side (top and bottom), on 14th feb 2008.

Post the extraction, .. the gums seemed to heal well, .. but I had trouble opening my mouthMouth . For, the first 2 weeks i thought it was something that would go away, but it didn't. So, I went to my dentist, he prescribed skelliaxin (muscle relaxant) i was having that, .... with no improvement.

I went to a TMJ specialist today,.. for a second opnion,.. and have found out that my disc has been displaced.
The doctor gave me some injections in my jaw, .... and has prescribed a device(brace), .. which i should be wearing**************.

Did this happen to me because of something the dentist did during the extraction,.. cause its been there, since that day? (cause he yanked on the jaw too hard, .. whilst pulling my tooth)
please help....

 

[xylene]

TMJ pain

TMJ is a possible problem following wisdom teeth extraction.

You need to consult with a med mal attorney to determine if the these problems are ordinary side effects of tooth extraction or arise from a breech of the standard of care.

I will tell you that TMJ can be treated but it takes time.

If you ever chewed gum - stop and never chew it again.

Aside from that I have few generalizable words for a fellow TMJ sufferer, other than follow your prescribed treatment plan

 

[barry1817]

wisdom teeth, and problems

the latest diagonosis on me, **************....
Disc displacement(TMJ) after Wisdom Tooth extraction


I had got my wisdom extracted (right side (top and bottom), on 14th feb 2008.

Post the extraction, .. the gums seemed to heal well, .. but I had trouble opening my mouthMouth . For, the first 2 weeks i thought it was something that would go away, but it didn't. So, I went to my dentist, he prescribed skelliaxin (muscle relaxant) i was having that, .... with no improvement.

I went to a TMJ specialist today,.. for a second opnion,.. and have found out that my disc has been displaced.
The doctor gave me some injections in my jaw, .... and has prescribed a device(brace), .. which i should be wearing**************.

Did this happen to me because of something the dentist did during the extraction,.. cause its been there, since that day? (cause he yanked on the jaw too hard, .. whilst pulling my tooth)
please help....

See what the informed consent noted, and I think you will find that post op pain and trauma to TMJ is a possibility. Having a bad result and doing something wrong are very different.

A poster had mentioned not to chew gum. I know that in exercising the jaw joint from trauma one must move it and chewing gum can be an option.

 

[lealea1005]

OP, did the TMJ "specialist" give you exercises, diet suggestions, and other options for pain relief?

I agree with Barry...take another look at the informed consent you signed before the extraction. TMJ is probably listed as a possible side effect/adverse reaction to your procedure.

I agree with xylene...avoid chewing gum (as well as other foods that are hard to chew) for the next couple of weeks.

 

[barry1817]

avoiding chewing, may not be in the best interest

OP, did the TMJ "specialist" give you exercises, diet suggestions, and other options for pain relief?

I agree with Barry...take another look at the informed consent you signed before the extraction. TMJ is probably listed as a possible side effect/adverse reaction to your procedure.

I agree with xylene...avoid chewing gum (as well as other foods that are hard to chew) for the next couple of weeks.

A person must chew to eat, or be on a liquid diet. With post op pain from extraction dentists often suggest chewing gum or something soft as part of the therapy.

Not chewing may make the healing longer.

 

[lealea1005]

A person must chew to eat, or be on a liquid diet. With post op pain from extraction dentists often suggest chewing gum or something soft as part of the therapy.

Not chewing may make the healing longer.

OK, but most MD's recommend no chewing of gum or other foods that are hard to chew because it will exacerbate the problem. Eating smaller, softer foods will adequately enable movement of the jaw. Example: applesauce or shredded carrots are much easier to chew than raw apples or whole carrots.