After the removal of a wisdom tooth, negative symptoms may appear in the form of swelling, pain, fever, etc. Removing a wisdom tooth is a painful procedure. As a rule, they are caused by the complexity of the dental procedure and go away on their own. However, in some cases, this is a sign of serious pathological processes requiring medical intervention.
What manifestations are observed after the removal of a wisdom tooth is important information for a person who requires this type of operation.
When swelling is normal
Swelling after wisdom tooth removal is a consequence of:
- allergies to medications used during surgery or to sutures applied after wisdom tooth removal;
- purulent inflammatory focus, usually eliminated before surgery;
- severe traumatic damage due to difficult removal;
- infection of soft tissues during the procedure;
- non-compliance with doctor's instructions.
A swollen cheek after wisdom tooth removal can be caused by chronic diseases: hypertension, neuralgia, psycho-emotional disorders. Along with the cheek, the gums may also swell after wisdom tooth removal.
How long after wisdom tooth removal the swelling disappears depends on the nature and complexity of the operation. As a rule, it gradually goes away within 3-7 days. The pain after wisdom tooth removal is aching in nature and occurs due to a violation of the integrity of tissues, blood vessels, and nerves.
Negative sensations in the jaw after wisdom tooth removal often appear due to prolonged sitting motionless with an open mouth during surgery. If your gums hurt after wisdom tooth removal, it is recommended to take analgesics.
Blood after wisdom tooth removal is the result of damaged blood vessels. Within a few hours after surgery, the bleeding should stop. The temperature after wisdom tooth removal may rise to 37.5°C, but after a few days it should return to normal.
How much it hurts after wisdom tooth removal depends on the complexity of the surgical procedure. Typically, the healing period does not exceed a week.
How to relieve cheek swelling after tooth extraction?
- Physiological swelling. In order to speed up the normalization of soft tissues after tooth extraction, you can apply cold to the diseased area, and after a few hours dry heat. To avoid burning or frostbite on your cheek, apply cold and heat through the cloth.
- Inflammatory process. In case of inflammation, it is necessary to conduct a thorough examination of the patient. If a dry socket, alveolitis or periostitis is detected, the source of infection is stopped by removing the affected areas and washing the wound with antiseptic solutions. After surgical cleansing of the inflamed wound, antibiotics may be prescribed. Painkillers are also prescribed. In more serious cases, vitamins and immunostimulants are prescribed.
- Allergic reaction. If, after removing teeth, you feel that your cheek is very swollen, shortness of breath occurs, wheezing appears, and a panic state develops, then immediately seek medical help. All symptoms indicate an allergic reaction, which may subsequently be anaphylactic shock. First aid consists of administering hormones (prednisolone, dexamethasone), calcium chloride, antihistamines (diphenhydramine, suprastin, tavegil). In cases where breathing is difficult due to Quincke's edema, an emergency tricheotomy is indicated.
When to see a doctor
Immediate contact with a medical facility is necessary if:
- swelling of the cheek after the removal of a wisdom tooth does not decrease for several days, but, on the contrary, increases;
- pain becomes pulsating and intensifies;
- body temperature exceeds 38°C for several days;
- general health deteriorated significantly.
If your cheek is swollen after wisdom tooth removal, the development of an inflammatory process cannot be ruled out.
Causes of cheek swelling
Due to tooth decay and its removal, swelling of the soft tissues, cheeks and gums may occur. For example, when removing a wisdom tooth, such swelling is almost inevitable. If the doctor did everything correctly, then the swelling of the cheek will soon go away and the patient’s health will not be threatened. But there is another side to the coin. Swelling of the cheek and soft tissues can be caused by inflammation in the wound. This can happen due to non-compliance with antiseptic rules. Simply, the doctor can introduce an infection into the wound, which begins to develop an inflammatory process in it. Also, swelling of the cheek can be caused by an allergy to injected drugs (novacaine, icecoin, etc.). That is why a qualified doctor always asks before surgery whether you are allergic to these drugs, but if you have never encountered them, it is impossible to understand in advance whether you are allergic or not without certain tests.
Diagnosis of cheek swelling after tooth extraction
If after tooth extraction you notice slight swelling of your cheek, without severe pain or other signs of inflammation, then most likely you have physiological swelling, which will go away on its own after some time.
If, after tooth extraction, you feel severe pain, and the temperature rises above 38 degrees, and you also feel pulsation in the painful area, then we are talking about inflammation. This condition requires emergency medical attention. When analyzing such a patient, an increased content of leukocytes will be present in the blood, and there may also be the presence of antibodies to any infection.
During an allergic reaction, histamine is detected in the blood, among other things, a rash may appear on other parts of the body, and the airways may swell and anaphylactic shock may develop.
How to reduce and reduce swelling at home
If the gums or cheek are swollen after the removal of a wisdom tooth, the condition will normalize after the cessation of the inflammatory process. However, cold compresses and ice are effective to minimize discomfort and pain. Cold is applied to the affected area every 30-45 minutes. no longer than 10 minutes.
To reduce inflammation, take baths and rinse the mouth with antiseptics. The use of antibacterial drugs must be approved by the dentist.
Recommendations on what to do after wisdom tooth removal are given by your attending physician. Following them will prevent complications and speed up the healing process. To learn more about diagnosis and removal, it is worth exploring the “dentistry” section of the website.
Swelling of the gums and cheeks as a sign of complications
Most often, deterioration of the condition after tooth extraction occurs from non-compliance with recommendations for caring for the hole. If infection manages to penetrate into it, then acute inflammation develops, the gums and cheek swell even more. You need to get an appointment with a dentist as soon as possible.
Don’t waste time and rush to the dentist if:
- the cheek is very swollen and the tumor is growing, although more than two days have passed since the tooth was removed
- there is intense throbbing pain that only gets worse
- the temperature has risen above 38 degrees and does not subside for more than 1–2 days
- painful when swallowing, pain in the cheek intensifies when moving the jaw
- general health worsens
The doctor will thoroughly clean the hole and treat the wound surface with an antiseptic solution. Repeat surgery and antibiotic therapy may be required. After treatment, the swelling will subside, the cheek and gums will become normal size.
Come to the Center for Modern Dentistry. Our specialists will perform careful and painless removal of even complex teeth. Doctors will provide emergency assistance for gum swelling and acute pain, eliminate complications after tooth extraction and help restore health.
Main rules after surgery
Do not touch the wound
. After the operation has been performed, the body does most of the work itself, so it rarely requires outside intervention.
After removal, a blood clot forms at the wound site. It is very important to keep it in place, so you should take extra care when eating and other activities that involve the oral cavity. Main restrictions
.
You should not consume food or liquid for 4 hours after the procedure. For several days after the operation, it is important to be careful when eating, avoid alcohol and smoking, and do not eat too spicy, sweet or salty foods. It is also very important to maintain a comfortable temperature and not drink or eat anything too hot or cold. Compress
: Swelling of the cheek and gums is significantly reduced if applied to the cheek for a few minutes every half hour.
This convenient and simple remedy helps not only relieve swelling, but also relieve pain. It only helps during the first three days. In the following days, this translates into contraindications. Following the recommendations of a specialist
. If the doctor recommended certain medications, then you need to take them only in the prescribed amount and when the doctor said. There is no need to self-medicate.
What to do if your cheek is swollen after tooth extraction?
Quite often it happens that the cheek immediately swells after tooth extraction. Let's figure out what to do in this case and how to relieve swelling?
First of all, you need to understand whether there is a reason for worry and whether you need to do something other than what the dental surgeon prescribed for the recovery period.
There is no need to do anything immediately after removal, since edema and swelling are a normal physiological reaction of the body to the intervention. The swelling can last for several hours, or even days, if the removal was difficult and traumatic.
If pain and severe swelling do not go away within 2-4 days, and the condition even worsens, you should definitely consult a dentist. Prolonged swelling may indicate the development of an inflammatory process in the socket of the extracted tooth - alveolitis. This is an extremely painful and dangerous condition that can only be treated with qualified medical intervention.
If a wisdom tooth has been removed: what should you do to prevent your cheek from swelling?
It often happens that the cheek swells after the removal of a wisdom tooth. In this case, first of all, you need to know that the removal of the notorious wisdom teeth or “eights” is always considered difficult and very often occurs quite traumatically, with suturing of the hole and a course of antibiotic therapy in the postoperative period. To minimize the unpleasant consequences of removal, the patient will need not only an experienced and skilled dental surgeon, but also a little preliminary preparation:
- A few days before the upcoming operation, you should stop drinking alcohol, and it is also advisable to stop smoking 2-3 days before surgery to reduce the risk of bleeding during surgery.
- For 5-7 days before removal, as well as in the first days after it, you should not take medications that change the rheological properties (level of clotting) of the blood. For example, aspirin, as well as some heart medications.
- If at the time of the scheduled operation the patient is undergoing treatment with any medications, you need to inform the dentist about this in advance so that he can decide whether it is worth the removal right now and can take the necessary measures.
Here are some tips on what you need to do to prevent your cheek from swelling when a tooth has already been pulled out:
- During the first day after surgery, do not rinse your mouth with anything (unless the dentist specifically recommended rinsing).
- Brush your teeth as carefully as possible so as not to damage the blood clot that closes the socket and protects it from infection.
- During the first 2-3 hours after surgery, you should not drink or eat anything.
- On the first day, do not eat too hot food, avoid hot baths or showers, and do not undergo physical activity.
- Take medications prescribed by your doctor promptly and in recommended doses.
If you have a problem similar to that described in this article, be sure to contact our specialists. Don't diagnose yourself!
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If the patient follows all medical recommendations, does not try to remove the sutures from the socket on his own (if they were applied), and maintains full hygiene, the healing process will be quick and favorable. If, a few days after tooth extraction, the cheek remains swollen, the only thing that can be done is to rinse your mouth with an antiseptic solution and go to the doctor. Treatment with home remedies and warm compresses in this case is not only useless, but also harmful.
