Swollen face after tooth removal.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, poor Chuck. I'm sorry to hear that he is going through this.

A carnassial tooth abscess (i.e. premolar 108) is definitely a common cause for swelling in a dog's face. Usually, removing the tooth solves the problem.

I can think of a few possible reasons for this problem to keep resurfacing.

One possibility is if there was some tooth root left in when the tooth was extracted. Often, extracting these teeth is difficult and sometimes a tiny piece of root can fracture off. Sometimes this does no harm, but sometimes it can cause repeated infection until the root is removed. It is often difficult to remove a tiny piece of root like this. However, if you feel like you can see a piece of tooth pointing out then it may be that the tooth root has migrated to a point where your vet can easily get it with a brief anesthetic.

Do you know if your vet has the capability to do dental xrays? If so, then this is the best way to know whether some retained root is the problem.

Another possibility is if there still is a fistula (i.e. a hole) between the tooth root and the nasal passage. Usually though, removing the tooth will solve this problem. But, it may be something where the vet needs to go back in and thoroughly flush the area in case there is some foreign material in there.

A tumor in the nasal passage or jaw could do this as well, but from what you have described this seems less likely.

Unfortunately I cannot legally advise on prescription medication dosages over the internet. You didn't mention Chuck's weight, but if I do some math to extrapolate his weight from the clindamycin dose he would be no bigger than 30 kg (66 lbs) and possibly smaller. 100mg of Tramadol would be a relatively large dose for a dog of this size. It's not something I would administer without having the ok from his vet first.

The good news is that his Tramadol plus Deramaxx are giving him some pain relief. Both are very good medications.

It's good that you are taking him in tomorrow. It does sound like he will need to be sedated/anesthetized again. Hopefully what you are seeing on his gums is the remains of a tooth root that is trying to migrate out and hopefully it will be an easy fix!

I will be online for about 30 minutes more so let me know if you have more questions.

Dr. Marie.


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