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Pain after wisdom tooth surgery

introduction

The wisdom teeth are no longer created in some people for evolutionary reasons, as we no longer need them due to our current way of life and especially the diet.

The human jaw has also become smaller in development, which is why there is often no more space for the wisdom teeth.

In around 60% of all people the wisdom teeth are shifted, i.e. not in their intended place and in the wrong axis, or there is so little space that they can no longer erupt.

These are precisely the reasons why the wisdom teeth are in one Osteotomy must be surgically removed. Due to a complicated situation, the procedure can turn into a serious operation, which can then even be carried out under general anesthesia by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

However, patients' concern about the procedure and the time it takes to heal can also be unfounded.

Which drugs can promote wound closure after a wisdom tooth extraction and minimize pain and how long does the wound healing last?

Read also: Operation on the wisdom tooth

Duration of pain

The duration of the pain after a wisdom tooth operation should not be included across the board as it influences several factors. There are also patients who have no complaints after an uncomplicated removal of their wisdom teeth. In general, it can be said that the longer and more complicated the operation of the wisdom teeth, the greater the risk of suffering discomfort.

The usual wound pain after the procedure is almost completely gone after a few days, at the latest after pulling the sutures (if the wound has been sutured, which in many cases is not necessary) 7 to 10 days after the procedure, this slight pain disappears completely.

However, if the wound becomes infected after the operation, more severe pain can arise, which can last longer until the inflammation subsides. In this case, the affected person may still feel pain after two weeks. With regular visits to the doctor, an anti-inflammatory ointment or the intake of an antibiotic can relieve the symptoms faster and thus reduce the duration of the pain.

With systemic diseases such as diabetes, wound healing can be disturbed, so that wound pain occurs for a longer period of time. The slight pain can last up to a month.

Pain during treatment

The affected area where the tooth extraction will be performed is well numbed with local anesthesia before the procedure. As a result, the patient should not feel any pain during treatment. Nevertheless, it must be said that the anesthetic takes the pain away, but the patient still feels slight pressure during the treatment, which the practitioner exerts in order to loosen the tooth from the tooth socket. In general, however, care is taken to ensure that the patient feels that they are in good hands and that they are relaxed. The interventions are usually over faster than expected, so that the patients are often surprised that the teeth have already been removed.

Learn more about: Local anesthesia at the dentist

Patients who are very sensitive to pain can alternatively have their wisdom teeth removed under general anesthesia or using laughing gas. A very complicated procedure is carried out in specially designed practices by oral surgeons or oral and maxillofacial surgeons. For procedures under general anesthesia, an anesthetist must always be present. General anesthesia is not borne by the statutory health insurance and must be borne privately at around 250 euros per hour.

You might also be interested in: General anesthesia for a wisdom tooth operation

Post Treatment Pain - How Severe is it?

The severity of pain after tooth extraction is variable. The wound pain after uncomplicated operations can only be mild, so that no pain medication has to be taken at all.
However, after complicated interventions that are accompanied by severe swelling and inflammation, the pain cannot be tolerated without medication. In addition to the pain medication, an antibiotic is also prescribed to quickly remove the inflammatory germs from the body. Furthermore, the individual perception of pain also influences the perception of the strength of the pain. Insensitive patients can hardly feel pain, while sensitive patients with the same strength find it unbearable.

You might also be interested in this topic: Swelling after wisdom tooth surgery

What can you do about the pain?

Surgical removal of wisdom teeth can be very uncomfortable for a period of time even after the procedure. Mouth opening and closing can be disturbed, severely swollen cheeks can occur, and many patients find it difficult to eat.

Immediately after the operation, it is advisable not to do any strenuous work, but to rest. The dentist or oral surgeon may write the patient sick for one to three days if the procedure was very intense. During this time, the patient should lie down and regularly cool the affected side of the jaw in a targeted manner.

Only proper cooling is pain relieving and productive. However, permanent cooling is wrong and leads to negative effects, since the body feels that the affected area is hypothermic and therefore has increased blood flow, which only promotes swelling.

It is correct to cool for 5 to 10 minutes every half to three quarters of an hour and then let the area rest.

Sucking ice cubes or eating ice cream can also produce similar effects. It is important to drink only carefully after the wisdom teeth have been removed and not to rinse, whether with herbal rinses or rinsing solutions. Rinsing ensures that the clot of blood that collects in the empty tooth socket is released and wound healing is disturbed.

The patient should also keep their head up so as not to cause excessive blood flow to the affected area. If the symptoms persist, the dentist should be consulted.

Which drugs are particularly helpful?

After a surgical tooth extraction, the dentist prescribes anti-inflammatory pain medication that the patient can take at home. Ibuprofen is particularly suitable here, which in addition to its potent pain-relieving effect also has an anti-inflammatory effect, so that in addition to pain, inflammation is also combated. Ibuprofen is available in sizes 400mg, 600mg and 800mg and the maximum daily dose of 2400mg should not be exceeded.

Only the 400mg size is prescription-free, the other two require a prescription. The disadvantage is that ibuprofen quickly hits the stomach and attacks the mucous membrane. Therefore, in addition to ibuprofen, Pantozol® is often prescribed in combination, which is considered a stomach protector and protects the mucous membrane.

Ibuprofen should be taken when needed, and a prophylactic tablet should be taken immediately after the procedure.

In the case of ibuprofen intolerance or allergies, paracetamol is the drug of choice, but it does not have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Medicines with the active ingredient acetylsalicylic acid should be completely avoided, as the blood-thinning effect could cause secondary bleeding. These include, for example, aspirin or tomapirin.

An antibiotic is prescribed to help with severe, lengthy operations. The duration of intake differs depending on the antibiotic. It is important to strictly follow the instructions of the doctor or pharmacist. The classic antibiotic is aminopenicillin Amoxicillin with the size 1000mg. If you are allergic to penicillin Clindamycin prescribed as an alternative.

Which home remedies can you take to help?

A home remedy that is supposed to calm the oral cavity is the clove. In tinctures and as a spice itself, the herb ensures that irritated soft tissue and teeth are loosened and discomfort is alleviated.

Nevertheless, the clove oil should only be dabbed on the spot and not used as a diluted rinsing solution, so as not to rinse the blood clot out of the tooth socket, which is supposed to convert into connective tissue cells and thus close the wound.

Furthermore, cooling with cooling pads is highly recommended. It should be cooled about once every three quarters of an hour between 5 and 10 minutes and then paused for the same time so that the body does not feel hypothermic and counteracts it.

homeopathy

Homeopathy, like small home remedies that support the prescribed medication, can accelerate wound healing and alleviate symptoms. If there is pronounced swelling or hematoma of the soft tissue in the affected area, globules may appear Arnica in the potency D12 be used. 5 globules are taken three times a day after meals. Can also be used for swelling and pain Calendula Help, which are also prescribed in the D12 potency. With Calendula, too, five globules are taken three times a day.

In addition to these classic homeopathic remedies, will also Bellis perennis, Chamomilla recutita and Belladonna applied. It is advisable to consult with the dentist or alternative practitioner.

Pain in other teeth after surgery

In particular, the neighboring tooth of the wisdom tooth can be located within the surgical field due to its close proximity.This fact leads to the fact that the operating method also applies the lever for support directly to the posterior molar. Due to the force applied, the remaining back molar tooth after the wisdom tooth removal can be irritated and also cause pain.

This irritation of the tooth can persist for a few days and lead to chewing difficulties, inflammatory pain and slight throbbing of the tooth. The patient often cannot distinguish whether the pain felt is the wound pain after the tooth extraction or the tooth in front of it is causing it.

After removing the sutures seven to ten days after the procedure, the pain should be minimized. However, often the wound is not sutured. In the case of blood clotting disorders, however, suturing is appropriate.

If severe pain persists at the check-up appointment, the attending dentist should inspect the back molar to find out the persistent pain situation. In many cases, however, it is not the tooth that causes the pain, but the surrounding tissue, which can quickly become infected.

In the case of inflammation of the mucous membrane, anti-inflammatory ointments can be applied by the dentist to relieve the pain. In the case of severe inflammation, prescribing antibiotics can also be useful in order to remove the inflammatory germs from the body's circulation more quickly.

Pain when chewing

After a wisdom tooth operation, the neighboring teeth can be irritated by the force of the lever. In the first few days after the procedure, this irritation causes discomfort when chewing and eating, so that only soft foods can be consumed. After a week at the latest, however, these irritations have completely subsided and the symptoms have disappeared. If this is not the case, the dentist must be visited so that he can diagnose the cause of the complaint and treat it in a targeted manner.

Read more on the topic: Eating after a wisdom tooth operation

Earache

The pain after a wisdom tooth operation can radiate into anatomically close areas. That depends on the position of the wisdom teeth. Especially with displaced wisdom teeth in the upper jaw, the ear can be irritated after removal, causing ear pain. This pain is caused by the force exerted on the lever by the treating dentist. As a result, the patient feels pressure pain, which is unpleasant and occurs at intervals. The pain increases in the evening and makes it difficult to fall asleep.

If this pain has not subsided after one to two weeks, there may be other causes for the earache. In this case, immediately consult an ear, nose and throat specialist.

Jaw pain

Jaw complaints are not uncommon after long-term surgery to remove wisdom teeth. Keeping the mouth open causes tension in the masticatory muscles, which trigger this unpleasant pain. As a consequence of this, mouth opening disorders also occur, through which the patient cannot open the mouth as widely or only barely.

It also makes it difficult to chew food and eat it. Due to the strain of the operation, jaw clamps or jaw locks are also possible. With muscular problems, lightly massaging the affected area can help - but only if there is no swelling. After a few days, the jaw pain should have completely subsided; if the symptoms persist, the treating dentist must be consulted immediately.

Pain in the lymph nodes

If there is inflammation of the mucous membrane around the empty wisdom tooth socket, the lymph nodes can also react to this inflammation. They swell and hurt. Most of them are the ones that are close by submandibular Affected lymph nodes under the chin or under the corner of the jaw.

The nearby lymph nodes are thick, hard to the touch, and painful. Swallowing can also be difficult. The rule, however, is that the swelling of the lymph nodes also regresses as the wound closes.

Sinus pain

Especially after the removal of wisdom teeth in the upper jaw, the anatomical proximity between the long roots of the posterior teeth and the maxillary sinus can lead to complications that, if not treated appropriately, can lead to sinus problems.

During the tooth extraction, a direct connection between the oral cavity and the maxillary sinus can arise, a so-called Mouth-antrum connectionwhich must be covered plastically with a mucosal flap, otherwise infections can easily develop. This means that the dentist will check whether a connection has been made. There are various methods of closing this opening again.

If the connection between the oral cavity and the maxillary sinus is not discovered, the sinuses can become infected. The paranasal sinuses and frontal sinus can hurt when moving the head and breathing through the nose can be very difficult. In this so-called Sinusitis the symptoms only disappear when the inflammation subsides. Inhaling herbal tea, hot baths, and in severe cases using antibiotics can relieve pain symptoms more quickly. If the pain persists, the doctor or ear, nose and throat specialist should be consulted.

Learn more about: Sinus infection