Metal Mouth Message Board

My OMFS noticed a hyperplasia of gum tissue right over my incision area at my 3 week post-op visit. He said that I should just keep up with business as usual (eating/hygiene) until he sees me again for splint removal at 6 weeks. He prepared me for the possibility that the fibroma could be due to an infected plate but that we'd have to wait and see. If the plate is infected he intends to remove it. I'm already on a course of oral THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT TO ADMINISTRATOR THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT TO ADMINISTRATOR THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT TO ADMINISTRATOR THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT TO ADMINISTRATOR THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT TO ADMINISTRATOR for a staph infection I caught from my hospital roommate (Thanks, you gross jerkface!) so he didn't put me on anything else.

I don't have, and never have had, any other signs of infection in that area. I'm less swollen on that side, it's not hot or tender, no drainage, nothing.

I'm hoping to avoid plate removal, but I'm getting comfortable with the idea in case it comes to fruition. I've read plenty of plate removal stories, but haven't found any fibroma removal stories. This growth is definitely too big to ignore and from what I've learned in my digging they do not resolve on their own.

Any advice or anecdotal info would be much appreciated!

A follow up for posterity's sake... The plate is infected underneath the fibroma. I'm having it removed on Friday, which will be at exactly 8 weeks post-op. I'm on a course of Augmentin that I started two days ago to keep things in check for the next 3 or 4 days until surgery.

The doc is hoping that healing will be progressed enough to just remove the plate and clean up the infection, but if it isn't I'll be going back in for the equivalent of a redo on that side. Ugh. I'll add another follow up here afterwards in case someone searches for a complete sequence of events. Nothing is more aggravating than finding out about the first half of a situation only to be left hanging with what to expect in the end

Good luck!

Do they anticipate plate removal being as intense as the initial procedure?

EWUgal15 wrote:Good luck!

Do they anticipate plate removal being as intense as the initial procedure?

Best case scenario I'll be swollen, but it'll resolve with less time and less pain than the original surgery. Worst case scenario would be almost like a repeat of the original.

He wasn't willing to guess, he said he wouldn't know until seeing it, but that he's optimistic. I'm trying to be ready for whatever comes my way. Detaching from the outcome is so much better for my stress levels!

The plate, screws, and two pieces of bone were removed from my mandible yesterday. I'm very swollen on the right side of my face and it hurts some, but I'm up and about without feeling woozy or weak. There's no bruising or numbness.

I'm still on oral antibiotics and will be for another 5 days. Taking ibuprofen for pain, with a percocet thrown in the mix if need be. The incision is much larger than the original one was.

I was very much out of it from the IV medicine they used to sedate me during the procedure so I don't recall what happened during and after. I'll ask more questions about why they needed to take out the pieces of bone when I go for my follow up in a couple of weeks.

That sounds awful! I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Hopefully things get better from here and you won't need any kind of revision.