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Dr. Hall
The tooth right beside my lower left wisdom tooth was extracted last Wednesday. There was swelling already on my jaw before the extraction. After extraction, the dentist prescribed amoxicillin for the infection. After 3 days, the swelling has worsened and pain killers are no longer helpful. The swelling below my jaw hardened and is larger than half of a golf ball.
– Jem from the Philippines
Jem,
It sounds like your infection is getting worse, even with the antibiotics. You need to report this to your dentist and he or she should switch antibiotics. I don’t think your dentist has done anything wrong here—amoxicillin is a good first choice for an infection from a tooth. But there are many infections that won’t respond to amoxicillin, sometimes because the bacterial strain has developed amoxicillin resistance.
These infections in the jaw can become quite serious, so I wouldn’t mess around with this but work with your dentist to find an antibiotic that will get this infection under control.
– Dr. Hall
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.