Hello,
On 31 May 2011 my lower left wisdom tooth was surgically removed. Before the operation I had a very deep purulent pocket, because of which the strips had to be changed almost daily for three weeks beforehand. The operation was difficult because of the size of the tooth and its position (growing toward the tongue). Immediately after the operation the surgeon placed some kind of gauze into the wound, which I then had changed once more, until he completed the treatment on 9 June and also removed the sutures.
A new problem has now appeared: purulent discharge, swelling near a lymph node, and mild tenderness to touch on the face. The surgeon who operated on me is absent, so I am asking you for your opinion. I would like to know what problems have developed and what should be done in this case. Is it possible that pus from deep inside is simply draining out this way and will eventually drain completely? Could my problem perhaps be solved simply with a strip or an antibiotic? Could there have been some diseased tissue present (the tooth was healthy) that should have been removed during the operation but was not? Can damaged/purulent tissue be seen on an X-ray?
All I know is that after a tooth is removed (ordinary extraction rather than surgery), the pus also disappears on its own and the situation resolves. My present condition is therefore unfamiliar to me and I have not come across it even on forums.
Thank you very much for your answers and kind regards.