After Wisdom Teeth Extractions
What Issues Can Occur After Wisdom Teeth Extraction?
Like any medical procedure, wisdom tooth extraction can come with potential complications or unexpected outcomes. Some issues that patients may experience include damage to the sensory nerve, sinus communication, infections, and dry sockets.
After your procedure, our assistants will review post-operative instructions with your escort to ensure you have all the information needed to stay comfortable during your recovery. If you were sedated, you will likely feel drowsy and comfortable when leaving the office. Most patients choose to go home and rest, refraining from physical or academic activities for a few days. As with any medical procedure, there can be unforeseen results, such as delayed healing, infection, or post-operative numbness and tingling in the lip, chin, or tongue. The oral surgeon will review these events and answer any questions during your follow-up visit.
Our services are provided in an environment of optimum safety. We utilize modern monitoring equipment and our staff are experienced in anesthesia techniques.
Possible Complications
Damage to Sensory Nerve
One of the primary concerns is damage to the nerve within the lower jawbone, which provides sensation to the lower lip, chin, and tongue. This nerve is often close to the roots of the lower wisdom teeth, and during extraction, particularly for older patients, there is a risk of injury. If the nerve is affected, you may experience tingling or numbness in the lower lip, chin, or tongue when the local anesthesia wears off. In most cases, this sensation is temporary and will resolve over several weeks or months. On rare occasions, it may lead to permanent alteration of sensation, similar to the feeling of local anesthesia. It's important to be aware of this possibility before consenting to surgery.
Sinus Communication
The upper wisdom teeth are located near the sinuses, and their removal may result in an opening between the mouth and the sinus. This is more likely to happen if the teeth are removed at an older age, as the roots are more developed. If a sinus communication occurs, it will usually heal on its own, but we may provide special instructions such as avoiding nose blowing for two to three days after surgery. Instead, you can wipe your nose but should avoid blowing it. If you need to sneeze, do so with an open mouth into a tissue. Creating pressure in the sinus area may dislodge the healing blood clot, so be cautious. If you suspect a sinus issue after surgery, please contact the office as an additional procedure may be needed in rare cases.
Dry Sockets
Dry sockets are the most common complication after dental surgery and occur when a blood clot prematurely dislodges from the extraction site. This issue is more frequent among people who smoke or take birth control pills. Dry sockets typically affect the lower jaw between the third and fifth days post-surgery and cause persistent pain that radiates from the ear to the chin. Patients often notice the pain beginning at night, and typical pain medications may not provide relief. Treatment often involves changing your prescription, and sometimes, a medicated dressing is placed in the socket to alleviate pain and protect the area from food particles. The dressing can provide relief for 24-48 hours and may need to be changed every one to two days for up to a week. Although the dressing doesn't promote healing, it helps control pain. Once the pain is under control, the socket will heal naturally.
Infection
Post-operative infections can occasionally occur and may require an office visit for examination. In many cases, a one-week course of antibiotics will resolve the infection. If the infection persists, the area may need to be drained and cleaned. Other temporary post-operative issues include jaw stiffness, chafing around the corners of the lips, facial bruising, and slight bleeding from the extraction sites. Our post-operative instructions should address these more common concerns, but feel free to contact the office if you have any additional questions.