[SandyWeb]

This may be an odd question, but without being seen by a doctor, how long would it take a jaw bone to heal? I just recently (3 weeks ago) had 2 teeth pulled from my lower jaw (one on each side) and a section of gum fixed that had become abraided over 10+ years.

Well, I think the dang oral surgeon (it was in a hospital with sedation and the whole works) broke my left jaw up by the joint. It aches constantly, and I can't move it in the same directions as before. I wake up and have to hold my jaw until I get enough ibuprofen in me. I can't sleep on that side because it hurts. The extractions and gum repair are pretty much healed by now, but this jaw problem is causing difficulties....and it makes noise if I move it in a certain direction.

I know, I know.....go back to the surgeon....or at least to a dentist or doctor. But you know what? My daughter JUST went through oral surgery for a jaw reconstruction and then has been wired shut. It was just the most terrifying thing to see my little girl so sick and throwing up blood through her nasogastric tube. She was SOO sick and in pain.

Granted, I wouldn't be anywhere near that severe....but I'm scared they'll say that it needs to be operated on to be repaired....and I've just been through a very horrifying experience with my girl. I was almost passing out everytime I would stand up and rub her arm as she was throwing up blood and looking so scared...and I felt utterly helpless. The blood would drain from my face, I'd be sweating all over, and I thought I would drop to the floor. But I ALWAYS stayed with her throughout each episode, and THEN sat down with a light head and feeling sick. Lol. I do NOT want any type of jaw surgery.

So....anyone know how long it takes to heal? It's not a sharp pain...just a dull ache that is always there and can really be felt even more when I move my mouth.

Argh!! It took me forever to get up the nerve to have the extractions done in the first place. Now this?!? This is even worse! Lol. I want it to heal on its own....I can take it. But I'd love to know a timeframe.

Thanks, guys.

God bless,
Sandy

please call your doctor and talk to them before the day is over............pat

[heyjoe]

it could be possible that it is infected and not broken. fayerody is right make sure you call the doctor.

[SandyWeb]

I know all I have to do is get an x-ray, and we'd probably just find a fracture of sorts. It's not like my jaw came unhinged or anything like that. But after seeing what my daughter went through when she had jaw surgery, it scared the crap out of me!

As for an infection, I don't see how. It's not even remotely in the area where the tooth was extracted or the gum abraided. And I was told that I didn't have an infection before the procedure, and they also told me the symptoms of infection to look for after the surgery.

I think it's just a fracture. Nothing is swollen or throbbing or oozing (yuck), and I don't feel sick or have a fever. It's just a dull ache back CLOSE to the joint, and my jaw exactly move fully like it did before without making the ache break through the tons of Ibuprofen I'm taking.

I just wondered, if it WERE a fracture (not an actual broken bone), about how long does it take to heal on its own? And the man who did the surgery was a resident, and I really don't want to put a black mark in his file. He was very good with everything else.....well, except he couldn't get me sedated at first. Lol.

Thanks anyways.

God bless,
Sandy

[heyjoe]

a simple fracture-4 -8 weeks

[jacq10]

(((((((((((((((((((Sandy))))))))))))))))))))
Sorry to hear about your jaw pain ... but i honestly would try not to let your daughters surgery get in the way of you going to get this checked out. Even if they have to do something to fix it, its not going to be NEARLY as extensive as that of your daughters. I wish that i knew more about how long it takes for bones to heal, but i really would go and get someone to look at it. It could be nothing, but either way i think that its probably better that you knew at least
Hope that things are going okay though ... you know how to reach me.
xo Jacq

the surgeon sedated you??????????????????????????????????? that's unusual. i think, but am not sure, that a bone fracture would swell alot. my ankle sure did when i smashed it.........good luck, sandy..........

[SandyWeb]

Hey "there" Joe,

Thanks for the info. It's been 3 weeks now, and I have to say that it *is* starting to not bother me as much. As long as I don't move my jaw in the wrong way and re-injure it, I think this is going to turn out fine. It's not like there were any moveable parts or even anything scary about it.....I just wanted to make sure a simple fracture in my JAW would heal properly without medical attention.

I had a hairline fracture in my nose once, and it caused unrelenting PAIN for WEEKS!!!!! You can't imagine how much pain the NOSE can cause! But nothing can be done about that, so I just suffered through it. It was worse then the time my kitty reached up to stretch, and he got his claw stuck on the inside soft side of my nose!! OUCH!!! He didn't move, I didn't move, and his eyes got HUGE.....he KNEW he had done something oopsy. His claw slowly retracted, and I went racing upstairs to the bathroom, just knowing I was going to have a pierced nose! Lol. But it didn't do any damage. Ha ha. But that sure did hurt for a few minutes.

Anyways, thanks for the info about a simple fracture. I'll be careful with how I use my mouth for the next little while.

God bless,
Sandy

[SandyWeb]

Hi ((((Jacq)))),

Long time, no hear. How did the move go? Sore muscles, or did you find yourselves some burly young men to help the defenseless little girls? Lol. Moving is awful. I don't envy you. But it's always fun to have a new place.

Oh, I know my little jaw experience is NOTHING compared to what my daughter just went through. And I know all I'd have to do is get an x-ray and then it's up to me on whether I want treatment or not. But like I told heyjoe, nothing seems to be out of place and I think it's just a fracture with nothing broken. The tooth he pulled out that was the closest to that part of my jaw actually broke because there is a piece of tooth starting to poke out the side of my gum there. It'll just work itself out. So he must have had trouble with getting that tooth out, and probably just used too much force. I'm not a teenager anymore! Lol. My jaws have been chomping for many years!!!

Thanks for getting back to me. It was nice to hear from you again. I hope you found an enjoyable job to tide you over for the summer.

God bless,
Sandy

[SandyWeb]

Hi fayerody,

Yes, I was sedated in the hospital for the procedure. I had the choice of either being frozen, or sedated and frozen. Guess what I chose?? Being an anxious person, oral surgeons scare the poopy out of me!! Lol. So I got to have Fentanyl and Versed, but he really had to overdose me with that Versed because I just was not feeling it. I even still remember most of the surgery, and definately let them know when it HURT!!!!!!!

The reason a regular dentist can't pull a tooth for me is because my roots (?)...the lower part of the tooth....tend to curve and wrap around my jawbone. A dentist is scared that he might break off a piece of my jawbone, and a dental office is not prepared for that type of situation. So it always has to be an oral surgeon. And sedation was an option that I chose.

Actually, like I was telling heyjoe, I had a fractured nose years ago.....and it didn't swell at all. Hurt non-stop for weeks, but never did swell. And my jaw isn't swollen in the least. I think it's just a very simple injury. But thanks for the concern. I think it's gotten to the point of healing that I don't need as much Ibuprofen anymore. And I'm glad that I didn't have to be responsible for a complaint being in this resident's file. I think that he'll be an excellent surgeon with the more procedures he performs. He seemed very good with people.

God bless,
Sandy

[heyjoe]

Could it be a dislocated jaw? My jaw pops still from getting hit when i was 15... im now 50?

[SandyWeb]

Hey "there" Joe

Why aren't you outside enjoying the weekend? I don't know where in NY you live, but I would think upstate would be wonderful. We're having a beautiful sunny day here, and we're really not THAT far from you. The same coast, anyways!

I'm not sure about dislocation. The "injury" is on the left side, and I can move my jaw sideways to the left without any problems. It's when I try to move it to the right side that it hurts and I can't move it very far over...so I don't want to do that, especially since the aching is beginning to go away. I'm just going to wait it out. Actually, my daughter has yet ANOTHER appointment with her oral surgeon in about 3 weeks, and if my jaw still is not working the way it used to, I might just ask what that could mean.

And someone hit you when you were 15? With all that testosterone blown out of proportion as a teenager, I'm surprised the other guy didn't end up in ICU. Lol.

Enjoy your weekend. Take care. No fighting!

God bless,
Sandy

sandy, what i meant was did the surgeon, himself, sedate you? you probably had another doctor give you the meds..........i still think you should have an x-ray..............xoxoxo pat

[heyjoe]

Actually i just got up at 1215. I was up late last night, well actually out walking till 330 with the dog. I got some medical news im still trying to take in and my feet were very painful, and it was really nice out so i was in no rush to go to bed...im on lawn guyland......i saw stars on that hit believe me...haha........i hope your jaw continues to feel better......you might want to take some calcium also.......a long story but i know of several people and animals that Now Calcium carbonate which is powder whichyou put in a drink has speeded along the healing of very difficult and complex breaks. If you are interested ill let you know where to get it ...its cheap about 4 bucks a large bottle.

[SandyWeb]

Hi fayerody,

Gotta say....that pic of yours really spooks me out! Lol.

Yes, actually it *was* the surgeon who sedated me. There was a nurse, the surgeon and a 3rd-year dental student (who didn't know any of the questions the surgeon asked him concerning the drugs he was injecting into me. Eeks! Our future surgeons?!?) The nurse even put oxygen cannulas in my nose, and I mentioned that was different. And she said that it was and she didn't know why they were doing that. Probably because they were giving me a second MEGA dose of Versed to try to get me sedated. In the Recovery Room, the nurse in there was shocked at the amount of Versed that was used on me and the surgeon just kind-of shook his head and smiled, like it was amazing that we couldn't knock her out. I TOLD them I had an anxiety disorder. LOL.

Yeah, I know I should have an x-ray. Not stupid....just stubborn....which in retrospect makes me stupid!

If I wake up one morning with my jaw laying halfway on the pillow (eeeewwwwwww), then I guess I'll be motivated enough to go to the boogly woogly man.

And YOU, my dear, need to get yourself outside too. I've got my balcony....I bet you're sitting in your study in an overheated house. GET OUT! Lol. Have fun. Enjoy yourself.

God bless,
Sandy

[SandyWeb]

Hey, it's JoeJoe!

Believe me, I'd sleep in late too if it weren't for my cat. He lets me know when I've been in bed long enough. Argh. He'll start stepping on me, then sitting back and watching me. Or he'll touch his paw on my face, then sit back and watch me. So eventually I drag myself out of bed, cat purring and talking away about the wonderful adventures he had in the house during the night, and THEN the little rascal goes to bed!!

I don't know what medical news you got, but don't ever give up on hope. Even at 50 years of age, you can still carry that baby to term! But seriously, give yourself time to think through whatever news you were given, and walk your dog to 3:30am every night if you need to. You can always PM me, if you want.

As for the punch, I can honestly say that I've never seen stars. I've seen my circle of vision getting smaller and smaller as darkness closed in before passing out, and I've seen "stories" in my head during the passed-out stage. But I have never been hit! You must have been a very, very bad boy! Then again, I was an angel (yeah, right) and my older sister was always poking and prodding and pestering me! Lol. I take it back. You were a nice 15-year old in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Thanks for thinking about my jaw. I hope you enjoy your day out on the lawn. A little sunshine always seems to have a way of making the day a little brighter (pun intended).

God bless,
Sandy

[Perna]

Sandy, I had to go to an endodontist :-) and get a tooth reconstruction/made longer so it could be capped and required stitches, etc. and they said I healed "quickly" and well and it was 2+ weeks before I had to go back (get the stitches out and everything checked up) so I imagine with your teeth, impacted and all, it could take longer. I bet it's okay; you wouldn't be able to move/talk at all I think with a broken jaw. But you might just go to a "friendly" dentist/doctor if you know one, let them sort of look :-) just for reassurance sake. It would be a shame if it healed "wrong" and never felt much better?

I was just talking to a friend who has to have neck surgery; she fell and knocked herself out (thinks she hit one of those large cedar flowerpots in her yard) and finally woke just before the ambulance her SO called got there and sent them away because she felt fine except for a knot on the back of her head. The next morning though her shoulder, back, etc. were hurting and the final report is she'd "re-injured" an old injury she didn't know she had and has to have surgery to replace a couple disks with a titanium piece as, potentially, another blow, even a small one could paralyze or kill her! There are worse things than having one's jaw wired shut; the face nerves/muscles aren't good to mess with and if something isn't right, you could end up messed up worse. Besides, if it isn't right, you can see if you want to sue the guy and pay for any additional work AND the pain/trauma he will have caused you.

[SandyWeb]

Hi Perna,

See, I don't want to sue anyone. This resident did not do anything maliciously or unprofessionally, as far as I can tell, because I wasn't really all that knocked out. Dang it!! I wanted to sleep right through it. Oh well.

My teeth weren't impacted. One tooth got a crack right down the centre somehow, and later it just broke right in half up and down. Since it was so close to the abraided section of gum (probably caused by a yummy chocolate chip cookie crumb over 10 years ago!), it was easier just to pull the tooth and then that would allow for some extra gum to pull over the abraided opening without having to do a skin graft. My teeth are built for life, though, in that they wrap around my jaw bone and hang on for dear life! Lol. That is basically all healed now. I only had a couple days of pain, and then maybe a week of discomfort....and now it's doing pretty well. And my stitches were the dissolving kind.

I appreciate your response, and I'll mention that area of my jaw in 3 weeks when I take my daughter to the oral surgeon for another check-up from her operation. But by then I'm sure it'll be almost over if not completely healed. No, I've seen what a broken jaw looks like. They broke both my daughter's jaws in 5 different places. I think I just have a little fracture. And, sure, I could sue......certainly could use the money.....but that's not my thing. I don't believe it was intentional or done through carelessness. Life just happens, you know?

Enjoy your weekend, hon. It's been a really warm day here. I hope you're having good weather, too!

God bless,
Sandy

[Perna]

I just think your wrap around roots are just too boisterous :-) and you're in for longer bone pain from getting them to let go.

No, I'm not for suing either but if your jaw were broken and they didn't "mention" it and it caused comoplications, I'd be wanting someone to pay for all that :-) I almost sued a OB/GYN 4 years ago because they kind of neglected to tell me an infection they were supposed to watch was still "there and it almost killed me. I happened to mention I was going to another doctor because of recurring pain and the nurse did an "oh, yes, we forgot to tell you. . ." and when I called to talk to the doctor, she refused to call me, had the nurse call me back and tell me to have my surgeon call her! I just cut them totally out of my will :-)

Yes, we have good weather here, had a short, heavy bit of rain earlier but now we're getting ready to barbecue steaks on the grill :-)

[SandyWeb]

Hi Perna,

A red meat girl, huh? I like chicken myself. And even though I live right on the ocean, I can't stand fish or lobster or anything that swims or crawls or drags itself in the salt water!!! Ugh!! Lol.

Yes, I'm sure it was difficult to get my tooth out, especially when it broke. It says on the form "Complicated Extraction", but they would all be like that because of my roots.

I am so hot right now. I wish the sun would go DOWN. Maybe I'll stand under a cool shower for an hour!

Have fun.

God bless,
Sandy