Why is there a swelling at the site of wisdom tooth removal?

Question

Hello doctor,

I just had my wisdom tooth removal surgery 10 days back. The surgery was on the lower right side as my wisdom tooth was impacted and was inside the bone. Hence, I had to remove it as there was some TMJ discomfort. My recovery is going fine there is no numbness and I just want to take your suggestion on one thing. I still have a swelling type thing on my right side jaw where surgery happened, though my right cheek is fine. I just want to know, in how many weeks my jaw will be fine as there is something that I can feel like swelling or a hard lump near to my surgery area. When I do open my mouth there is pressure on my right side jaw. Since there is no pain, I just want to know that when can I expect my jaw swelling or hard lump in the surgery area to be fine?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have been through your query and I can understand your concern.

Post-extraction swelling is normal as the tissues require a conducive environment for healing. Normally, an extraction site shows almost complete healing after 21 days, provided you do not have any negative habits like smoking and have followed the instructions perfectly. In your case, it seems there was surgical removal of the tooth, which requires an incision, bone cutting, and sutures. If that were the case, it would take roughly 4 or 5 weeks for the wound to heal completely. The swelling will also subside in the coming days. I would suggest you to wait and follow the instructions of your dentist. However, if the swelling continues to remain there for an even longer time, and if you feel discomfort, then I would suggest you go to your dentist at that time. I would also suggest you do normal saline oral rinses with warm water, but very gently (in order not to destabilize the clot of the wound). Maintain good oral hygiene. Follow up after 15 days for the results.

Thank you.