Tooth extraction is not a pleasant process. Painful sensations and swelling of the gums after extraction of a tooth are an adequate response of the body to the operation. Usually, unpleasant symptoms increase 3-4 hours after the effect of the anesthetic drug wears off. Normally, pain, swelling, redness of the mucous membrane after a conventional extraction are observed for another 2-3 days; after a complex extraction, symptoms persist for 3-5 days. If your gums hurt after tooth extraction after 7 days or longer, you need a medical examination.
Why does my gum hurt?
Unexpressed aching pain and slight swelling of the gums appear due to injuries to soft tissues, nerves, and jaw bone when removing a tooth from its bed. The gum tissue swells, the nerve endings are compressed, hence the pain. How much your gums hurt after tooth extraction depends on:
- Patient's pain sensitivity;
- degree of complexity of the intervention;
- features of the clinical case;
- location of the dental unit (after extraction of molars, the injury is greater, the pain lasts longer);
- state of immunity.
The body’s normal response from the development of complications is distinguished by the following properties: the pain does not intensify, pathological symptoms are present for no more than 7 days, and no other signs of deterioration in well-being are observed.
Why does a tooth hurt after extraction?
Pain after tooth extraction is quite common and manifests itself in most cases in some form. Pain at the extraction site is divided into several types. We will talk about each type of pain.
Aching pain after tooth extraction
This type of toothache is the most common and is observed in almost all patients who have undergone tooth extraction. The first pain appears after the anesthesia wears off and lasts for about two days. By its nature, this pain resembles an aching character. In some cases, pain is experienced when opening the mouth, this is due to the fact that the gums and chewing muscles are stressed and inflamed due to tooth extraction.
Severe pain after tooth extraction
This type of pain usually appears after the removal of impacted and dystopic teeth. When they are removed, a larger volume of mucous membrane is exposed, and the removal operation itself lasts longer compared to conventional removal. Because of this, the impact on the oral cavity is much greater, and inflammation is more pronounced.
Phantom pain after tooth extraction
After complex removal surgery, in rare cases, phantom pain may occur. This occurs due to the sprouting of nerve fibers into the tissue. This type of toothache occurs in people with weak immunity or autoimmune diseases of the body.
Due to the sprouting of nerve fibers, the removal site becomes very sensitive. When chewing soft food, severe pain can spread to other teeth.
How long does your gum hurt after tooth extraction?
Normally, after 1-3 days, tissue swelling gradually decreases, pain goes away, and health improves. Already on the 3-4th day, the blood clot is gradually replaced by granulate, and after a week it fills the entire hole. After tooth extraction in the upper jaw, the recovery time is identical to the lower jaw, but bone regeneration in the upper dentition occurs more slowly.
In some clinical cases, the surgeon may cut the gum and drill out the jaw bone. Typically, such manipulations accompany the extraction of the outer eighth molars (wisdom teeth). Then healing takes longer than after a simple operation.
If 5-7 days after the intervention the pain does not decrease, but rather becomes more intense, you should consult a doctor. Acute, nagging, constant pain after tooth extraction can be a symptom of complications.
The tooth socket heals in approximately 2-4 weeks. Recovery time depends on the parameters of the wound and the body’s reaction to the removal procedure. Bone volume is restored approximately 6 months after the intervention.
Healing of the tooth socket on the gum
The healing process of the hole after tooth extraction takes about 3-4 weeks. It all depends on the size of the hole and the characteristics of the body. Complete restoration of bone tissue occurs approximately 6 months after removal.
The healing process can be divided into stages:
- 1-2 hours after the tooth is removed, blood begins to form in the place where it was located, just like on ordinary wounds. Therefore, it is not recommended to expose the tooth to any impact during the first 2 hours. Including consumption of food, hot and cold water;
- After 2-3 days, gum swelling and pain decrease;
- After 3-4 days, granulation tissue begins to form at the site of removal;
- On days 5-6, this tissue begins to grow, swelling and pain in most cases subside and disappear;
- A week after removal, the hole heals;
- Next comes the active healing process, and if there are no complications, then by 3 months the bone tissue is saturated with minerals, and the recovery stage is considered almost complete;
- Six months after removal, the gums are completely healed;
What happens if you ignore pathological pain
The appearance of pain always signals a problem in the body. If the tooth was removed long ago, and the pain persists or increases, this is evidence of a complication. Pain may be associated with:
- Increased body temperature;
- severe swelling, redness of the mucous membrane;
- halitosis;
- purulent discharge from the socket;
- white or gray coating on the mucous membrane;
- enlargement of the submandibular lymph nodes;
- pain while swallowing;
- restriction when opening the mouth.
In this situation, you should see a doctor immediately.
Ignoring alarming symptoms is fraught with serious problems, such as abscess and osteomyelitis. These are serious pathologies that require timely, qualified treatment.
Why can your gums hurt?
Why does my gum hurt? Firstly, this is a natural reaction. You have undergone surgery to remove a tooth and its root system. Obviously, the surrounding tissue will be sore for several hours after the anesthesia wears off. Tissue swelling affects the nerve endings, which causes discomfort. If the pain is too severe, you can take a pain reliever as recommended by your doctor.
The fate of the gum tissue for the next few days depends on the fulfillment of the surgeon’s instructions. If your gums are still inflamed, or you feel any unpleasant symptoms that the doctor did not warn you about, you need to make an urgent appointment with the dentist.
One of the causes of gum inflammation can be the entry of food particles, spices, or exposure to hot temperatures into the socket. To protect your gums, it is necessary to limit visits to saunas and steam baths, and exposure to the sun. Temperature increases blood circulation and provokes an inflammatory process.
Another cause of gum problems can be careless brushing of teeth. You need to very carefully carry out home oral hygiene, without affecting the socket and the area around it.
You should also remember that any manipulations with the hole are strictly prohibited. You should not try to pull out food particles or remove clots on your own. If the dentist prescribed ointment, you must use it. If nothing is prescribed, then there is no need to use additional funds.
After tooth extraction surgery, your doctor should warn you about possible pain and complications. An additional cause of gum problems may be the presence of splinters in the tissues or incorrect actions by the dentist.
How to get rid of pain at home
To eliminate postoperative pain, the dentist will prescribe analgesics and cold compresses on the side of the intervention. Additionally, you can use traditional methods - mouth baths made from tinctures or herbal decoctions. Baths with an antiseptic drug are also allowed (the solution must be held in the mouth for a while and spat out). What is strictly forbidden:
- warm the operated area;
- rinse your mouth intensively (you can wash out the blood clot);
- chew on the injured side;
- “check” the hole using your tongue, fingers, and apply medicine to it.
The risk of complications depends on the complexity of the operation to remove a dental unit. Simple extraction is carried out if the tooth does not have strong, intertwined roots, it is intact, and there are no associated problems (cysts, pulpitis, periodontitis, etc.).
Extraction of dystopic teeth, which are very crooked, have intertwined, crooked roots, with a destroyed coronal part, and with an inflammatory process, is considered difficult. In such cases, a more extensive operation may be necessary with a preliminary incision in the gum, sawing the tooth into elements, extracting fragments through a hole in the jaw bone, and applying sutures. Molars are usually difficult to remove. If your gums hurt for several days after the removal of a molar, but the painful symptoms are smoothed out, then the wound is healing normally.
What causes long-term pain after tooth extraction?
Long-term (more than a week) pain occurs due to one of the following complications:
1. Alveolitis
If the gum does not heal under the blood clot and the tooth socket becomes inflamed, then the tissue adjacent to the gum begins to rot.
Signs:
- increasing aching pain, turning into a sharp “shooting”;
- gum swelling;
- temperature increase;
- smells like rotten breath.
Untimely relief of alveolitis leads to necrosis of gingival and alveolar tissue. Several teeth may need to be removed.
How is it treated?
The well is washed with an antiseptic, cleaned of existing foreign particles and washed again. Then a lotion with an antiseptic and anesthetic is applied.
2. Cyst
A “sac” on the gum in which fluid or pus accumulates.
Symptoms:
- discomfort and pain when biting;
- feeling of heaviness and foreign body in the area of the extracted tooth;
- development of sinusitis;
- general malaise, lethargy, fever up to 37.5°.
If left untreated, the cyst leads to the destruction of gum tissue and loss of teeth located next to it.
What to do?
At the initial stage, it is enough to take a course of antibiotics, and the cyst will “resolve.” If pus has formed in the “bag”, surgical opening of the cyst cannot be avoided.
3. Flux
When pathogenic bacteria enter the periosteum, periostitis occurs.
Symptoms:
- gum swelling;
- swelling of the cheek;
- formation of a purulent abscess;
- severe, throbbing pain;
- heat.
Untreated periostitis turns into sepsis - infection enters the circulatory system. The result is death. This is why it is important to immediately seek help from a dentist.
What needs to be done?
The doctor will open the purulent formation, disinfect it and prescribe antibiotics to stop the inflammatory process.
Flux after removal
Flux is characterized by purulent accumulations inside soft tissues. The formation of flux can be caused by harmful microorganisms located in the wound or in the oral cavity itself.
With gumboil, there is aching pain in the gums, a thickening appears on the side of the cheek, the lymph nodes become enlarged, and general health worsens.
If after tooth extraction the pain in the gums does not subside for a long time, you should consult your doctor. To eliminate inflammation, a specialist may prescribe antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and painkillers.
How long does it take for gums to heal after removing the “eight”?
After wisdom tooth removal, periodontal pain may ache for several days. Most often, the pain is constant, independent of the influence of any external factors. After a complex operation, the gums can take up to two to three weeks to heal, but pain can last up to seven days. Very often, patients complain of periodontal itching in the area of the extracted tooth. This is a good sign indicating the beginning of the soft tissue regeneration process. To alleviate the condition, the doctor may prescribe painkillers.
