Has anyone ever ended up with a gum infection after going to the dentist?

Question

I just went to a new dentist last wednesday for a cavity I already knew I had (was pregnant so i ignored it) and the pain got so bad I decided it was time to get it fixed.

They didnt do anything except take x-rays and do a periodontal disease check. I left with a pretty sore mouth (i'd never had a dentist use a periodontal tool before), I have a partially ruptured wisdom tooth that hurt pretty bad the next morning, while everything else was just sore. I figured it was just growing and ignored the pain for nearly 5 days.

Finally, when medication stopped touching the pain, and the back of my jaw was swollen and full of puss i went to the ER (I was out of town).

What iam wondering is, the hygenist kept commenting on all the plaque and i needed a cleaning and on and on, so if i needed a cleaning why wouldnt they do that BEFORE shoving all the plaque into my gums with a probe?

Anyway, have you ever gotten an infection? Either by periodontal tool or rough cleaning or such

The infected area includes the cavity site (top molar), but the wisdom tooth is on the bottom. The whole right side of my mouth is now infected.

Answer 1

It happened to me once. I went in for a cleaning up and developed with a bump on my gum a couple days after. I washed my mouth with mouthwash to kill the germs and the infection went away in about 1-2 weeks.
I recommend that you come back to the dentist and tell him your condition. Maybe he can prescribe you some medicine.

Answer 2

I think it is just coincendnece. I think since you said you already had pain in the cavity that it already reached the root. You have an absessed tooth and with all the cleaning it probably just brought it to light. I wouldn't blame the dentist here. I suggest you get on an anitibiotic to get rid of that infection since they can't numb your gums to do any work until that infection is gone and then get that tooth taken care of first and then go in for the rest of your cleaning. I totally understand because I lost one of my teeth to a pregnancy. I had a filling that broke and I tried to get it fixed and I kept going into labor in the dentist chair and they wouldn't touch me at all-hehe. Well I got a very nasty infection, but once I lost the tooth it went away. All I was left with was the roots. They are still there to this day. I have to eventually get them taken out. That was 5 years ago. As soon as you notice a crack in your tooth or pain it is time to go to the dentist no matter what.

Answer 3

I dont mean to sound harsh. As the Dentist was poking around and scraping along specific areas. He may have cut your gums a bit of scratched them. As he stated your teeth being full of plague can create this to happen, it's common with a dirty mouth. What you need to do, is get on top of this whole mess, indure some pain for a little longer and have your teeth cleaned before you get your tooth ache handled. Really is the smart thing to do, the dentist may have already recommended this. You can't blame your denist for looking at your teeth, after all, your suppose to get them cleaned every 6 months. Right now, I would suggest swishing with listerine twice a day after brushing till you get this rolling, it will help with the infection. Also twice a day gargle and swish with warm salt water. Good Luck

Answer 4

I think you are confusing a periodontal issue (gum) with a tooth issue. It may be that your gums were sore from the probing.. (because it's been so long since your last cleaning.. they were inflammed) and that the wisdom tooth had a cavity and was abcessing (had infecton.. because the cavity got to the nerve.) It is highly unlikely that the probing caused the infection, it was already there and it was irritated by the measuring.

Answer 5

probably the agrivation from the check up, they were probably checking depth the gums have pulled away from the teeth, and you need a deep cleaning, I have never had a infection but I always rinse with salt water several times a day for a day after going to the dentist,

Answer 6

rough cleaning loosens the tooth forming gum pockets which get filled with debris/food etc get secondarily infected & u land up with a periodontal abscess-off course u can even get HIV(AIDS) after a simple dental procedure

Answer 7

I didn't get any infections,but I have a friend who used to get one.He says that the doctor forgot to clean the equipment after using it on the other patients.

Answer 8

It's possible, if the tool has not been sterilized properly or if they introduced bacteria down into your gum...very possible...they need to hear about it too...

Answer 9

nope.