Jaw bone infection after a tooth extraction: OUCH!

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The beginning

It all started with a painful tooth, which has caused problems more often but always remained calm after some home remedies. As you may experience the same issue you could understand when I say that these toothaches always arrive with horrible timing. If they aren't popping up during the night, they appear when the weekend has just arrived or during the week whenever you have a busy schedule and fully booked with appointments or important errands to run.

That's why I always quickly turn to home remedies for a first relief in the hope this will soothe the pain enough to continue my plans. This time, I was afraid soothing the pain would help me get through the night tops, and the next day I'd be forced to spend hours at the public dentist. With a move around the corner (like weeks from now) I really can't afford to spend hundreds of bucks at the private dentist, damn it. I told myself the last time this situation encountered that it would be the last! But here we are again. Oh well, so be it, I have to deal with it as is, let's see how that went down, shall we? :)

Waiting in line, so far nothing out of the ordinary

Whenever one visits the public dentist, be prepared to spend at least 3 hours there. It doesn't even matter what timeframe you pick, because whenever it seems quiet, you will see that the employees are on break for an hour or the dentist where you are in the queue suddenly is gone, whatever. It's never a quick fix, even though it's the emergency dentist. I know this, so I expect to arrive as early as possible and not be back before noon.

It seemed to go pretty quickly at first and sitting there wasn't too bad the first two hours as the heat didn't arrive yet and it was still cool inside. But close to noon, it started to get hot in there and there were so many people. I had seen one after the other with a higher number in the queue getting called in for the first check and after number ten I decided to ask what the hell was going on. I mean, I get that the lady that was so pregnant that you'd expect her to give birth on the spot didn't have to wait, good for her, I'd be grateful for their understanding as well in her position, but all these others, I don't know, it felt off.

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I kept a close eye on how they determined the queues, they collect the covid questionnaires which you fill in after arrival and make a huge pile (sometimes up to twenty people at once) of these forms. Then it seems as if the on on top is the lucky one to get called in first, so the one on the bottom is the one waiting and waiting.. It seemed I was the unlucky one plus I had seen this dentist before so they put me in his (busy) queue as well, damn it.

When it was almost 1 pm I finally got called in

Thankfully, now we're at least getting somewhere. It was right in time as well, I started to get so hungry but even worse, the pain started kicking in quite badly as well so I was hoping that the anesthesia would give me relief soon after this first check. Boy, I was wrong! So the dentist told me after a thirty seconds look in my mouth that I would need an X-ray but this would have to be done in after 2.30 because they closed everything now. What? Are you freaking kidding me? What am I doing in the waiting room and why is everyone called in before me? He got agitated and so did I so I left to come back after 2.30 pm.

Two positive things about this stupid situation which already cost me half of the day was that I could now eat something at home and take pain meds so that I'd hopefully be ok until they'd help me in the afternoon. As expected, a huge line was outside and I noticed everyone had their questionnaires in their hands, except me, because they didn't give it back to me! I went home, assuming those being sent home would be helped first after 2.30, I was wrong. It was starting all over again in the line first come first serve.

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I cried at home, I will be honest, the pain was horrible and I wondered once again why people can work this inefficiently ALL the time. And why the public ones don't seem to have any empathy either. Well, at least the afternoon went by quicker.

A very nice young guy started chatting and so I had some nice conversation

This helps during the hours of waiting. I had the number after him, so I didn't spend too much time alone. I was called in first for another examination by another dentist, then an x-ray, and then the verdict.

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Unfortunately, they were proposing another root canal treatment while it was super obvious (even to me without a dentist diploma lol) that the roots were so narrow that I was not comfortable about them trying to fix it and then eventually ending up with a toot extraction after all. I've heard this story of several people and my trust in them isn't that great anyway, On top of all this, they only start a root canal treatment so I'd have to come back and this would mean even more time wasted at the dentist and often it also means the pain is not over either.

So at this third time being called in, they put in the anesthesia and I was sent back in the waiting room again. After another hour of waiting, I was finally going to get treated and although the dentist was very unpleased that he would not be able to perform a root canal treatment he agreed to take out my tooth. Honestly, the extraction seemed to go very smoothly and was nothing horrible compared to another one that I once experienced. I honestly thought this was going to be an easy recovery and that the worst part was behind me now.

I was wrong

The next day was fine-ish, but the second day, boy oh boy, the pain started to become heavier again like when the tooth was still in there and I needed the pain meds with smaller intervals again, so my complete Sunday was ruined again when it came to the plans I made. Frustrated, I could not really do much but accept it and wait until the next day. I was quite convinced they should have given me antibiotics (they mentioned this the first time I was called in, the first dentist that I saw) and he had forgotten to prescribe it in the end.

I decided to go to my doctor because they gave me a note stating if something happened (pain, swelling, fever etc) go to your doctor. Mine was on duty in the afternoon, so I had to wait until the late afternoon on Monday (damn it haha), I made sure I took enough painkillers until then and thought I'd walk out with a prescription for antibiotics (I've had this situation before, with other doctors and never encountered issues). First in line, and then the doctor arrived 35 mins late! He does that often. In total it cost me another 1,5 hours for nothing going to the doctor because he refused to give it and sent me back to the butchers ;).

Private it is, time is money

At this point, I spent 7 hours!! at the public dentist on Friday, and another 1,5 hours at the normal doctor who didn't even help me so that's 8,5 hours of my life wasted. Time is freaking money, I was already set back with the painful days doing my freaking job so now it was enough, I will go private and hope they won't charge me too much for an antibiotics prescription.

I felt stupid for not doing this sooner, this reception lady was super helpful and understanding, within 15 mins I could see one of the doctors so she called him (they also perform dental surgery I think) and he said my jaw bone is infected so I indeed need antibiotics. There's a chance if this isn't going away that he will need to open is and clean, I knew this, but at least it would mean relief for now. So thankful because they didn't charge anything but the cost of the antibiotics!!!

This will be the dentist to go to from now on, no more public ever again!

This is the third day of antibiotics

He told me to see for three to four days, if it won't be gone then I have to come back. So I will see how today goes and decide tomorrow if I need to see him again. I have discovered on Tuesday (after I felt carefully for the first time) that there's something sharp sticking against my gums and the location seems off, I have the feeling that they haven't cleaned it properly and that I will be unlucky to have it opened up again tomorrow.

Today is the first day that I didn't wake up with pain, so the antibiotics are definitely helping with the infection, but I guess if there's something there that can't come out, it will cause problems again rather sooner than later. Best to take care of it right away. I've been such an idiot not to save up cash for dentist appointments until now, as soon as I will get my first salary, this will change. Teeth matter and I shall make sure they are taken care of right away when I have an issue from now on.

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