Pain after tooth extraction for how many days

Pain after tooth extraction: how long does it last, and is it normal? These and other questions concern patients after dental procedures. Pain syndrome is normal in several cases: early postoperative period, complex removal, simultaneous implantation.

Normally, pain can persist from several days to a week, and its intensity should decrease. The appearance of symptoms such as increased pain, swelling, inflammation, bleeding or the appearance of purulent exudate is a reason to immediately consult a doctor.

How does a postoperative wound heal?

How long the area hurts after tooth extraction depends on many factors. The healing process after tooth extraction is a complex and lengthy process. Removal occurs with a rupture of the dentofacial connection, namely the connection with the alveolar process and the jaw bone.

The recovery process lasts about two to three weeks. Much depends on the surgical protocol, the clinical situation and the characteristics of the body.

Main stages:

Formation of a blood clot. Forms 1.5-3 hours after extraction. The function of the clot is to protect the wound area from pathogens and secondary infection.
Active tissue regeneration. The affected mucous membranes are restored, after 3-4 days swelling and inflammation decrease.
Formation of granulation tissue. After 4-6 days, granulation tissue forms on top of the clot - the basis of a new epithelial layer.
Granulation proliferation. After a week, the granulation tissue grows, completely covering the socket.

Already on the eighth to tenth day, the wound is completely healed and by the end of the second week a new epithelial layer is formed.

After two weeks, bone tissue begins to renew. After six months, the bone tissue in the area of removal becomes completely healthy.

Causes of pain

The occurrence of pain after tooth extraction is associated with damage to nerve endings, vascular structures and soft tissues. The peak intensity of pain occurs in the first hours after the cessation of anesthesia. The symptom persists for about 12 hours.

In case of incisions in the gums or damage to the bone tissue, as well as after implantation after removal, toothache may persist for 2-3 days. Pain syndrome also occurs in the case of displacement of the dentition towards the formed void. Therefore, doctors recommend prosthetics as soon as possible after extraction.

Causes of pain after tooth extraction

Constant multi-day pain in the area of the extracted tooth indicates the development of pathological, i.e. abnormal processes. There may be several reasons for this:

poor quality of treatment: usually associated with poor cleaning of the socket from tooth debris or inflamed tissue,
development of alveolitis: this is inflammation of the tissues inside the socket, i.e. their infection. Occurs if the blood clot in the socket is not dense enough or is absent altogether, and the patient ignores the rules of hygiene and prescribed drug therapy,
neuralgia of the facial nerve: damage to nerve endings during difficult extraction, for example, impacted wisdom teeth that formed exclusively in bone tissue,
tissue hematoma: occurs when capillaries are damaged. This process cannot be controlled, since it depends on the individual characteristics of the body and its reaction to surgical interventions. As a rule, it goes away on its own, but it still causes pain.

Pain during difficult removal

The duration of pain after complex extraction (wisdom teeth, impacted or dystopic incisors) is associated with damage to a larger tissue area. Often such an operation involves making an incision in the gum, sawing out the roots, extracting tooth fragments, and draining an abscess, which increases the scope of the surgical intervention. If your ear hurts after wisdom tooth removal, this may indicate nerve damage.

In some cases, patients complain of persistent discomfort and pain for up to a week. Clinical manifestations such as swelling, swelling of the gums, enlarged submandibular lymph nodes, fever, and malaise are also common.

How long can gums hurt and what affects the duration of pain?

The strength and severity of pain depends on the complexity of the operation. If the tooth was mobile and was in the root, the patient may not experience discomfort at all. If it is necessary to cut out part of the bone and apply sutures, pain for 7 days is normal.

Usually the gums do not hurt for more than 7 days. During this period, the hole heals completely. If you encounter a similar problem, you need to urgently consult a dentist. The NAVA dental clinic in Moscow uses modern equipment, thanks to which inflammation can be easily removed in the early stages. If the problem is neglected, treatment may be difficult.

Pain in the gums can persist for several days and depends on what type of tooth extraction operation was performed:

Milk tooth – 1-2 days.
First and second molars – 2-3 days.
The procedure with cutting out teeth takes 5-7 days.
Removal of several adjacent teeth – 3-5 days.
Fang – 2 days.

Types of pain

The nature and type of pain depends on the type and surgical intervention, the duration of the operation, and the complexity of the clinical process. Clinicians distinguish the following types:

Aching. It is felt immediately after the anesthesia wears off. Keeps for about 2-4 days. The jaw may ache when opening the mouth or chewing.
Intense, enduring. Occurs during extraction of a complex tooth with drainage or opening of a purulent cavity.
Phantom. Occurs after traumatic surgery and may be felt from time to time. Phantom pain occurs with weak immunity and a low pain threshold.

It is difficult to say how intense the pain will be in each specific case, which is why it is so important to follow medical recommendations to prevent complications.

Symptoms

Many patients wonder what a dental cyst is and how to treat it. To find the answer, you need to understand the symptoms. As already noted, signs of the presence of a formation can be noticed only at a late stage. The symptoms of a dental cyst are as follows:

pain in the jaw area that does not have a specific location;
discomfort when chewing food;
inflamed gums.

A tubercle is formed in the area of the tooth root, which subsequently increases in volume. The consequence of this process can be flux.

A cyst under a tooth can cause the following conditions:

physical weakness;
increased size of lymph nodes;
increase in body temperature.

A serious danger is that the severity of pain with this disease is much lower than with other dental diseases. An extracted tooth with a cyst cannot be restored, so you must immediately consult a doctor if any discomfort occurs.

What else can pain indicate?

Severe pain after removal may indicate the development of complications. Pulsating pain that radiates to the ears and submandibular lymph nodes is not normal. The most common causes of complicated postoperative pain are the following factors:

Violation of treatment protocol. Unfortunately, mistakes do occur, especially in the removal of complex teeth. The techniques and approaches used in different clinics may differ from the standards. Errors include leaving fragments of materials or a splintered tooth root behind.
Alveolitis. Occurs in the absence of a blood clot. The disease complicates natural healing and interferes with normal tissue regeneration. That is why doctors do not recommend touching the wound with your tongue or rinsing your mouth intensively.
Dry hole. One of the common complications and the cause of long-term pain after tooth extraction. Despite the moisture of the mucous membranes, bone tissue is visible at the bottom of the wound opening. This problem is typical for smokers during periods of hormonal surges. The doctor seals the wound with a swab containing medication.
Trigeminal neuritis. Long-term pain persists when a tooth in the mandibular row is removed if the trigeminal nerve is damaged during the manipulation. Damage may be accidental due to structural anomalies or multiple branching of nerve structures.

The likelihood of complications developing is low if the removal protocol, medical recommendations after extraction, and timely response to alarming manifestations are followed.

How can you reduce pain?

In the early postoperative period, it is important to follow basic recommendations that reduce the risk of negative manifestations:

maintain the integrity of the blood clot - do not touch the wound with your tongue, rinse vigorously with solutions or water, just take an antiseptic or herbal decoction into your mouth, hold for a few minutes and spit;
after a complex removal, take broad-spectrum antibiotics - this is important to prevent the infectious process;
taking symptomatic medications for up to 2-3 days - in the first days, medications help reduce pain and inflammation;
use a gel with a cooling effect for intense pain;
do not eat for two hours after surgery, and eat solid food in the area of manipulation for 5-7 days.

You can reduce the pain if you chew a piece of ginger or propolis on the healthy side of the jaw, apply ice through a handkerchief to your cheek or chin, and rinse with the following ingredients:

tea tree (10 drops per 500 ml of boiled water);
steep chamomile decoction;
decoction of eucalyptus and string;
soda-salt solution (1 tsp soda, 1 tsp salt, 500 ml water).

The temperature of rinsing solutions should be comfortable - neither cold nor hot. Herbal solutions are best used as an alternative 3-5 days after surgery. In the early period, it is better to rinse the wound and oral cavity generously with water-based antiseptics.

The appearance of pain after tooth extraction is associated with trauma to the deep layers of the jaw structures. The tooth can hurt from several hours to 3-7 days, depending on the severity of the clinical situation and the scope of medical intervention. If questionable symptoms or other signs indicating complications appear, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

Tooth hurts after extraction

Fact #1

Aching pain after tooth extraction is a normal reaction of the body to surgery.

Why does pain occur?

After tooth extraction, pain is inevitable, because removal is a surgical operation. Depending on the complexity of the manipulation, the patient begins to feel aching or throbbing pain almost immediately as soon as the anesthesia wears off.

Tooth extraction (tooth removal) is a relatively simple operation, if it is not an impacted, dystopic eighth tooth (wisdom tooth). Surgery is accompanied by damage to soft tissues, which require time to recover. Soreness, swelling, redness are natural reactions of tissues to injury.

Pain is a normal reaction of the body to injury to the mucous membrane during and after the procedure. If the pain does not go away within a few days, but only intensifies, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Recommendations after tooth extraction

After tooth extraction, the dentist and surgeon will definitely give you recommendations and explain which sensations are considered within normal limits, and in which cases it is necessary to urgently come for an examination.
Standard recommendations include:

It is recommended to keep ice in the cheek area on the side of the extracted tooth (the doctor's assistant will offer you ice immediately after the operation). This will minimize swelling and speed up regeneration.
You should not touch the socket of an extracted tooth with your tongue, much less with your finger or other objects.
Do not try to remove something from the hole that seems unnecessary to you. In our clinic, a self-absorbing collagen sponge is placed into the hole; it helps to form a full-fledged clot in the wound. The clot protects the wound from infection; it works like biological glue.
If the surgeon has placed stitches, do not touch the threads with your tongue or try to remove them. During your post-op check-up, you will be given a date to remove your sutures in a sterile dental office (usually day 7). If the sutures are self-absorbing, they will disappear within 10 days.
It is recommended not to eat for 2 hours after surgery - this is the minimum. This is necessary so as not to cause bleeding or infect the wound.
Food and drink should not be hot. For the first time, they exclude foods that are too sour, salty, and spicy.
Alcohol-containing drinks are excluded because they dilate blood vessels and can cause bleeding.
It is necessary to refrain from smoking for at least 3 hours after surgery, since nicotine reduces the protective response of the soft tissues of the oral cavity.
You should not overheat - visit the bathhouse, sauna, take a hot bath and hot shower.
Physical activity and sports are excluded.
You cannot rinse your mouth with active movements; baths are recommended - just keep the rinse in your mouth.
You should not blow your nose too much, as this can cause bleeding and disrupt the healing process in the socket.

Oral hygiene after removal
is allowed only the next day after surgery. You must use a soft toothbrush. You need to brush your teeth bypassing the wound at the site of the extracted tooth. If the doctor has prescribed baths, you must follow the recommendations. Good oral hygiene after surgery is very important and promotes a speedy recovery.

How long does pain last after tooth extraction?

How many days pain can persist after tooth extraction is purely individual. The norm is considered to be up to three days, and starting from the third day, with normal healing and the absence of complications, the pain begins to subside. The healing process depends on the general condition of the body and on what the situation was in the oral cavity at the time of removal - if against the background of inflammation, then the infection can provoke swelling of the gums and a longer and more painful recovery.

Swelling after tooth extraction

Normally, tooth extraction may be accompanied by swelling of the cheek in the following cases:

If there was already swelling before surgery.
If tooth extraction was carried out against the background of an inflammatory process.
If the tooth extraction was difficult - when the operation requires cutting the gums.
Do not panic if swelling of the cheek after a complex removal leads to asymmetry, difficulty swallowing and discomfort when opening the mouth - these temporary phenomena will pass as healing occurs.

Fact #2

Swelling in the area of the removed extreme molar occurs in 90% of cases.

In what cases should you urgently consult a doctor?

If the nature of the pain after removal goes beyond what the attending dentist warned you about, you should consult a doctor.

Symptoms that should alert you include the following:

More than 3 days have passed since the tooth was removed, and the pain does not subside.
There is bleeding that lasts for 24 hours.
Body temperature increased above 38.
The swelling of the cheek does not decrease, but rather increases.
On the 3rd and 4th days, difficulties in opening the mouth persisted.