Suggest treatment for swelling and pain in jaw after root canal
Patient: Hi, I had a partial root canal on Saturday, in which the dentist left it open for it to drain.  It was a previous root canal that had gotten infected.  Well, my cheek and jaw weren't swollen before I got there, but now the lower left cheek and jaw are huge, a bit numb, and appear to be growing!  Is this normal?  He left the tooth open to drain, but I haven't seen any drainage.  This is my second day taking Clindamycin.  I'm getting worried.  Should I go in somewhere now?  Thank you in advance for your help!Doug Doctor: Thanks for your query, I have gone through your query.The pain and swelling cheek and neck region could be because of the infection from the same tooth. Following instrumentation the infection would have got aggravated. You can take a course of antibiotics like amoxicillin 500mg and metronidazole 400mg tid for 5 days (if you are not allergic) instead of clindamycin.Consult your endodontist and get the tooth irrigated and cleaned so that puss will drain from the tooth. Do not apply pressure over the swelling. do saline gargling.I hope my answer will help you, take care.