Dear forum,

My doctor/dentist tentatively diagnosed me with phlegmon, after I went into the hospital with a fever of 105. My tongue and gums were swelling and there were two huge skin flaps that'd formed under my tongue. After ex-raying and CT scanning my head, they found a big shadow under the roots of my four lower front teeth. After zapping them with electricity to test their vitality, they found one completely dead. I don't remember getting hit or any kind of impact. It was like suddenly bam, hi infection.

The doctor finally cut the gums and sewed in a drain (he called it a tube) and only after that did my fever go down. He wasn't sure what the mass was, but thought either a cyst or a pocket of infection that formed after my tooth died, and the infection had spread into the surrounding soft tissue. Now, after a week, the swelling around the area is gone, (he took the tube out) but the two front teeth gum area is swollen still and I feel a pressure and a hard lump like under the chin where it's supposed to be soft, and in the front of my chin.

The doctor is Japanese, first of all. He's talking about doing a root canal, and then doing some orgal surgery. He explained it as stripping back the gums, drilling a whole in the jaw and removing the infected area. That seems a little extreme.I was wondering why doesn't he suck it out with a needle, but what do I know? I'm just wondering if that's the correct procedure for this case, to drill into the bone and like scrape out everything. It sounds major...

Can you go for a second opinion? If you are not comfortable with the treatment plan laid out for you, you should see what other options you have. You say your doctor is Japanese, so if there is a language barrier, perhaps you don't fully understand what he intends to do. Is there someone in the office you can clarify with? Would the dentist be performing the procedure? A lot of times dentists will send you to an OS for the procedure, which means you get a consult anyway.

You need to see a maxio-facial surgeon. If you are in the ny area I know a good one.

Dear forum,

My doctor/dentist tentatively diagnosed me with phlegmon, after I went into the hospital with a fever of 105. My tongue and gums were swelling and there were two huge skin flaps that'd formed under my tongue. After ex-raying and CT scanning my head, they found a big shadow under the roots of my four lower front teeth. After zapping them with electricity to test their vitality, they found one completely dead. I don't remember getting hit or any kind of impact. It was like suddenly bam, hi infection.

The doctor finally cut the gums and sewed in a drain (he called it a tube) and only after that did my fever go down. He wasn't sure what the mass was, but thought either a cyst or a pocket of infection that formed after my tooth died, and the infection had spread into the surrounding soft tissue. Now, after a week, the swelling around the area is gone, (he took the tube out) but the two front teeth gum area is swollen still and I feel a pressure and a hard lump like under the chin where it's supposed to be soft, and in the front of my chin.

The doctor is Japanese, first of all. He's talking about doing a root canal, and then doing some orgal surgery. He explained it as stripping back the gums, drilling a whole in the jaw and removing the infected area. That seems a little extreme.I was wondering why doesn't he suck it out with a needle, but what do I know? I'm just wondering if that's the correct proceedure for this case, to drill into the bone and like scrape out everything. It sounds major....
Did the dentist put you on an antibiotic to clear up the infection? A root canal would be the usual thing to do. If the antibiotics and the root canal do not clear up the area of infection then a apicoectomy may be needed. You may want to ask to referred to an "endodontist" who specializes in infections of the nerves of the teeth.