What can relieve swelling after tooth extraction. Treatment of swelling after tooth extraction. Cold compresses after tooth extraction

Tooth extraction is a serious operation that causes a lot of discomfort. Even if the performer is a high-class professional, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the gums and cheeks. First, we will consider the issues of norm and pathology, then we will tell you how to remove swelling from the face after tooth extraction, so as not to harm your own health and quickly alleviate the condition.

Swelling on the face after tooth extraction

Safe swelling after tooth extraction

Sometimes dentist patients are afraid of ordinary edema, which does not pose a danger to life and health. In what cases the situation is not dangerous, we will consider further. Injury to surrounding tissues or tooth extraction against the background of an inflammatory process are provoking factors for edema, this nuisance disappears spontaneously after a couple of days. Absence elevated temperature body - favorable factor. When inflammation is present, the temperature may rise slightly, but it soon decreases. Normally, pain after surgery should noticeably decrease, but not increase, otherwise complications can be suspected. It is good when a dense blood clot covers the wound, protecting nearby bone tissue from inflammation. After undergoing a tooth extraction procedure, it is advisable to observe the gum and cheek for one day, in case of deterioration, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Signs of complications after tooth extraction

Each person should know in what cases it is necessary to immediately go to a specialist. The dentist will be able to help by washing the hole, putting medicine in it, making an incision in the gums and removing pus. An alarming symptom is an increase in edema, up to swelling of the undereye area, the process can take several days. Tumor growth is indicative of inflammatory focus and the formation of pus. When there is constant or increasing pain that does not decrease, it is also worth playing it safe by seeing a doctor. Usually, severe pain bothers only those patients who have undergone complex operation tooth extraction, supplemented by sawing out bone tissue. The pain persists for 1-2 days. In other cases, prolonged pronounced pain impulses indicate negative processes at the site. extracted tooth. When there is no natural protection in the hole - blood clot, present putrid smell, body temperature and tension in the edema zone increase, pains appeared when swallowing and moving the mouth - urgent medical assistance is needed.

Prohibited activities after dental surgery

Even if you know exactly how to remove swelling from the face after tooth extraction, you need to make sure that healing is proceeding normally and there are no complications at all. Home treatments for swelling of the cheeks are aimed at alleviating the condition and do not promise to eliminate suppuration. All manipulations with the teeth and face must be coordinated with the doctor. It is usually not recommended to rinse your mouth for a couple of days so as not to disturb the blood clot in the wound. It can also be dangerous to take hot bath. Immediately after the operation, it is not forbidden to take warm drink, about three hours do not need to eat. Definitely harmful alcohol, smoking. After tooth extraction, it is better not to work physically, especially with wisdom teeth. Do not touch the wound with your tongue or any objects. Any warming of the affected area should be excluded.

How to remove swelling from the face after tooth extraction: make cold compresses, rinse saline solution or other medicinal solutions

Self-help measures for swelling after tooth extraction

Cold compresses after tooth extraction

There will be no harm if you make a compress with ice, it must be applied to the problem cheek for 10 minutes. The manipulation can be repeated after 20 minutes. Thus, you can somewhat smooth out the discomfort and reduce swelling during the day. A special cooling device, the antipode of a heating pad, can act as a compress. You can also use a bottle filled with chilled water.

Salt solution after tooth extraction

In any case, rinsing with lightly salted water is useful for the teeth and oral cavity. To do this, take a glass of warm clean water with half a small spoonful of salt. It is worth doing rinses every time after eating, while you must act very carefully so that the protective blood clot remains in the wound, it is necessary for the successful healing of the injured gum.

Therapeutic solutions after tooth extraction

It is advisable to carry out the treatment not only with salt, but also with other means. When two days have passed after the operation, you can gently rinse your mouth, trying not to dissolve the blood clot in the hole. The best option is filling the mouth with liquid, holding, and spitting out. Requires 5 repetitions and 3 treatments per day. As remedy to reduce swelling of the gums and cheeks, you can use a solution based on furacilin, oak bark, propolis or baking soda.

It is worth noting that patients with arterial hypertension. For this reason, surgery must be combined with appropriate therapy. For this purpose, special preparations can be used from high blood pressure or all kinds sedatives, protecting against excessive excitement and an attack of hypertension. To quickly reduce swelling, you should ask your doctor to prescribe a good external preparation against edema, it can be an ointment, gel. Given all the above recommendations, every adult will be able to reduce discomfort and recover as successfully as possible after tooth extraction.

Most people take tooth extraction very lightly, considering it a simple and harmless procedure. Actually, this is a small surgery which often leads to complications and side effects. If, after the extraction of the tooth, the cheek swells, there is a noticeable pain and even an increase in temperature, this may be a sign of the onset of the inflammatory process and require a second visit to the doctor.

Why does swelling appear?

In most cases main reason cheek swelling is the destruction of the soft tissues around the tooth. It entails traumatic swelling of the gums and cheeks, and sometimes even the palate. With complex removal, for example, a wisdom tooth or an impacted tooth, tissue damage is almost inevitable. In this case, the appearance of edema is not a complication and does not pose a danger to the health and life of the patient.

Sometimes the cheek swells due to inflammation, which can be caused by a mistake by the dentist or by the patient not following the doctor's recommendations in the postoperative period. If the doctor did not follow all the rules of asepsis and antisepsis, poorly sanitized the focus of infection under the tooth or removed it incompletely, then all this can provoke the development of inflammation.

Often swelling of the cheek is a sign allergic reaction for the used anesthetic. Sometimes patients develop alveolitis, or socket inflammation. After extraction of the tooth, a special blood clot forms in its place. If this clot is removed or if it suppurates, the whole cheek swells.

Scheme of the course of alveolitis: 1 - an unhealthy tooth is ready for removal. 2 - the removal took place in violation of asepsis rules and the infection process began in the well. 3 - development of alveolitis

If your face is swollen, this is not a reason to panic. In most cases, this does not threaten anything. But it doesn’t hurt to visit a doctor to determine if a foreign object or a piece of tooth left in the gum caused the edema.

When is swelling of the cheek not a threat?

Edema after tooth extraction does not threaten any complications if:

Swelling of the gums and cheeks appeared even before the operation;
The edema is small and does not increase over time;
Removal was not easy and were damaged soft tissues(cuts made). This swelling usually goes away after two days without treatment;
Swelling is not accompanied by fever;
Cheek does not hurt or discomfort gradually decrease;
The hole is closed with a special dense blood clot;
The smell from the mouth did not change and did not become unpleasant.

If your health is not disturbed, the pain is tolerable, and the swelling gradually decreases or at least does not increase, then there is no reason to immediately run to the dentist. It will most likely be back to normal in a few days.

The sequence of processes occurring in the tooth socket after extraction

When should you see a doctor?

In some cases, the appearance of edema indicates serious problems in the body. You need to see a doctor if:

The cheek is very swollen, but there are no pronounced pain in the tooth. This often happens after pulpitis, if the doctor has not completely cleaned the channels. Since the nerve is gone severe pain will not occur, while the tumor will increase. This situation threatens the development of cysts.
Edema is accompanied by difficulty breathing, shortness of breath - this happens with the development of a strong allergic reaction.
The pain in the area of the hole does not subside or even intensifies.
The temperature has risen and the state of health has noticeably worsened - this may indicate intoxication.
The smell from the mouth became unpleasant, putrid.
There was discomfort when moving the jaw, pain during swallowing.
Edema did not appear immediately, but after about 3 days - this may indicate the development of alveolitis.

Severe pain in the jaw and difficulty in its movement after tooth extraction is a clear reason to see a doctor

Sometimes the deterioration of the condition occurs very slowly, so the patient does not notice it. If over time, relief does not come, it is necessary to analyze your well-being now and a few hours ago. At the slightest sign worsening, you should try to get to the dentist as soon as possible.

Treatment of swelling after tooth extraction

Nobody wants to walk with an asymmetric face, so when edema appears, it is very important to establish its cause and try to start treatment as soon as possible. If the edema is physiological, then simple home methods will suffice. But in dangerous situations It is better not to try to self-medicate and trust the doctor.

What can you do yourself?

If there is no reason to visit the dentist, then to speed up recovery, you can:

Attach cold compress to the cheek. You can use a wet cloth, an ice cube, or a water bottle. Cold will help get rid of pain and relieve inflammation.
Make a soda-salt compress. To prepare it, pour 1 tsp. soda and 0.5 tsp. salt with a glass of warm water. In the resulting solution, moisten a cotton swab and apply it to the gum for 15-20 minutes. An hour later, the procedure is repeated.
Sleeping on a high pillow promotes churn excess fluid from the head and reduce swelling.
Use over-the-counter decongestants, such as Lymphomyosot drops. Gels and ointments for external application with dental edema are not highly effective.
If there is a suspicion that the nature of the swelling is allergic, then you can take any antihistamine medicine- for example, "Suprastin".
Do not worry, as experiences contribute to an increase in pressure, which can provoke an increase in edema.

Cool compress helps relieve pain and reduce swelling

How is the treatment in the clinic?

AT dental clinic The doctor first examines general state patient and examine postoperative wound. This allows you to determine the cause of edema and choose the right tactics treatment.

If the wound is dry, then the lesion is sanitized, necrotic tissues and pus are removed. Then the wound is washed with an antiseptic - for example, dioxidine, furatsilin or hydrogen peroxide and an antibiotic. Sometimes the doctor decides local use proteolytic enzymes.
If the cause of the edema is a piece of tooth that remains in the gum, then it is removed, and the wound is treated.
If there is an abscess, then the wound is drained with silicone drainage tubes or rubber strips, and then prescribed drug treatment. The most common recommendation is to take antibiotics. a wide range actions and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

After that, the patient can go home and continue treatment on their own.

AT difficult situations only a doctor can choose proper treatment and implement it

Prevention of complications

To avoid swelling of the cheek and many other complications, it is important immediately after removal to listen to the advice of a doctor and follow all his recommendations.

Immediately after the operation, the dentist places a small gauze pad in the hole to control bleeding. At the time indicated by the doctor, it must be removed so that it does not become a breeding ground for infection. But this must be done very carefully, as there is a risk of damage to the blood clot and its subsequent suppuration.
After returning home, it is recommended immediately, without waiting for the swelling of the cheek, to apply a cool compress to it.
The first 2 days you can not intensively rinse your mouth so as not to accidentally wash out the blood clot.
3 hours after the operation you can not eat.
The day after removal, smoking and drinking alcohol is prohibited.
If the doctor recommended taking antibiotics, you should not interrupt the course and drink alcohol during treatment.
Do not touch the hole with your hands or any objects.
Do not use warm compresses immediately after surgery.
If a wisdom tooth was removed, physical labor is limited for a while.

Video: "Rules for oral care after tooth extraction"

In most cases, slight swelling of the cheek after tooth extraction is physiological and resolves over time without treatment. Relentless adherence to all the advice of a dentist helps to speed up this process. If the edema delivers severe discomfort, the intensity of which increases over time, it is necessary to consult a doctor. He will be able to determine the cause of the problem and choose best practices treatment.

Tooth extraction is a relatively simple operation. True, she is fraught different kind unpleasant complications, which include bleeding, suppuration, inflammation and swelling. How to act to avoid similar troubles And what recommendations after tooth extraction should be followed? This article is devoted to the answer to this question.

How long to keep a tampon after removal

Often, dentists leave a gauze swab in the tooth socket. This usually happens when the wound bleeds slightly. In other situations, leaving a tampon is strongly not recommended. This is due to the fact that when removing the tampon, the patient can remove a blood clot from the wound, and in this case, the risk of an inflammatory process will increase.

If you have a gauze pad in your mouth, you should carefully remove it. You should not leave a tampon: the tissue soaked in blood is a real incubator for microorganisms. Therefore, the longer the tampon is in the mouth, the greater the risk of an inflammatory process.

Cold compress

Then it should be applied to the cheek or lip from the side where in oral cavity there is a wound, a cold compress. Making such a compress is very simple: you should get a piece of meat or ice from the refrigerator, wrap it in a clean cloth and lean it against your face.

A cold compress is an excellent prevention of edema. This is especially true if the operation occurred with complications.

You need to apply a compress 3-4 times, holding it near your face for five minutes. Between compresses should take breaks of five minutes.

It is important to remember that the procedure will only be effective if it is performed within the first few hours after the operation. But to apply warm compresses strictly prohibited: this can cause inflammation and suppuration of the tooth socket.

Painkillers after tooth extraction

As a rule, when simple removal patients' teeth are not bothered by severe pain. However, if you want to prevent discomfort, you can take Nurofen, for example. Moreover, it is better to do this before the moment when the effect of anesthesia ends.

If the patient is worried about severe pain after tooth extraction, then most likely it will not be possible to avoid taking strong painkillers, for example, Ketanov, which is sold only by prescription due to the fact that it causes many unpleasant side effects.

Patients experience intense pain after a complicated extraction, during which the dentist had to drill bone tissue surrounding the tooth.

Rinse after tooth extraction

Of course, it was said above that rinsing the mouth immediately after the operation should not be done. However, you can make baths with antiseptics. To do this, prepare a solution, hold it in your mouth and spit it out.

the operation took place against the background of an inflammatory process;
for the purpose, the doctor made an incision on the gum;
if you have a lot of teeth affected by caries: pathogenic microflora can cause suppuration.

It is best to make such baths using a solution of chlorhexidine. This solution in finished form can be purchased at any pharmacy. It is inexpensive, but it has an excellent disinfecting effect.

The procedure should be done three times a day, keeping the solution in the mouth for one minute.

Tooth extraction for hypertension

To all people suffering from hypertension, immediately after tooth extraction, it is worth measuring regularly blood pressure. If it rises, it is necessary to take a drug to normalize the pressure. If you ignore this recommendation, bleeding or a hematoma may develop. Bleeding leads to a breakdown and even loss of consciousness, and a hematoma can often suppurate.

Tooth extraction for diabetes

If you have a device designed to measure blood sugar, you should check this indicator immediately after tooth extraction. Any surgical operation, even the easiest one, is accompanied by strong psychological stress and adrenaline rush, especially impressionable patients. And adrenaline can have Negative influence on blood sugar levels. Timely monitoring of important indicator will allow you to quickly take action to prevent poor health.

Antibiotics after tooth extraction

Under no circumstances should it be taken on its own. Assign similar drugs only a dentist can.

Your doctor will usually prescribe antibiotics for the following:

tooth extraction occurred against the background of an inflammatory process;
the operation was complicated by any negative factors;
there is a high risk that the patient will have complications.

Most often, doctors prescribe the antibiotic "Lincomycin", produced in the form of capsules. The drug is taken two capsules three times a day, the course is at least five days. "Lincomycin" can be prescribed in combination with a drug such as "Metronidazole". It is taken one tablet three times a day, the course is also at least five days.

If the patient has developed suppuration, then "Lincomycin" can be prescribed in the form intramuscular injections. The drug is administered in 2 ml. twice a day, usually the course is a week. To enhance the effect of "Lincomycin", the doctor may prescribe "Metronidazole" in tablets.

Those patients who suffer from digestive disorders and for one reason or another cannot do intramuscular injections, it is recommended to take effervescent antibiotics, for example, Unidox Solutab or Flemoxin Solutab. Drugs should be taken in accordance with the instructions. Effervescent antibiotics quickly penetrate into bloodstream without causing any harm to the intestinal microflora.

Removal of stitches

After the operation, the doctor must remove the stitches no later than 7-10 days later. Sometimes the removal of sutures is not required. This happens if the dentist sutured the wound using catgut, which is completely absorbed after ten days.

When to continue dental treatment

To further treatment teeth should be started no earlier than a week after the operation. If the removal proceeded with complications, then it is worth waiting longer. This is due to the fact that in teeth affected by caries, a large number of microorganisms that can enter the wound during dental treatment, leading to suppuration. Therefore, it is worth waiting until the wound at the site of the tooth hole is completely overgrown.

How to brush your teeth after extraction

Under no circumstances should it be neglected hygiene procedures. The teeth should be brushed in the same way as usual, while affecting the area where the extraction was performed. Of course, teeth near the wound should be cleaned as gently as possible. In this case, it is advisable to use a toothbrush that has a fairly soft bristle. If you neglect regular hygiene procedures, there is a high risk of plaque accumulation, which can lead to suppuration and inflammation of the tooth socket.

What not to do after tooth extraction

After the operation, you should not:

eat within the first two to three hours (you can drink drinks that should be warm or cool, but in no case hot);
take a hot bath (you can take a warm shower);
fulfill physical work requiring great tension (otherwise bleeding may begin);
picking at the wound with the tongue or with the help of any objects;
make excessively active facial movements;
rinse your mouth: because of this, a blood clot may fall out of the wound, which will lead to the development of an inflammatory process.

In addition, after the operation, you should stop smoking for at least three hours. Concerning alcoholic beverages, they should not be consumed during the first day. If the dentist has prescribed antibiotics, then alcohol should not be drunk until it is finished. full course treatment.

These simple recommendations will allow you to avoid unpleasant complications that may accompany a tooth extraction operation. Follow all the advice of your doctor, be careful and do not self-medicate!

What to do after tooth extraction during the first 24 hours:

1. gauze swab from the oral cavity should be removed after 20-30 minutes. In some cases (for example, in patients with arterial hypertension or simply with poor clotting blood) it is better to hold it longer - 40–60 minutes. Its purpose is not to absorb blood, but to compress the hole to stop capillary bleeding.

2. Do not eat or drink for 2-3 hours. Until a more or less dense clot has formed in the hole, food debris can get into it and cause complications.

3. For 3 days, exclude rough, hot, spicy foods from the diet. Rough foods, especially foods such as crackers, chips, nuts, can get into the hole and cause it to become inflamed. hot or spicy food increases the volume of blood flow in the area of the operation, which can lead to increased postoperative inflammation and the appearance of pain, swelling, etc. Optimal Nutrition after surgery - food that does not irritate or injure the oral mucosa.

4. For 3 days, give up the bath, hot bath, sauna, solarium. Exclude physical activity and any heating of the body. You can take a shower and wash your hair. But not for long and hot water. Under no circumstances should the operation area be heated. Due to the heat, blood flow in the area of the extracted tooth increases, and this can lead to serious complications.

5. Do not poke around in the hole, do not try to clean or rinse it. Try not to touch the tooth socket with your tongue. Even if you notice “something abnormal” in the hole of the extracted tooth, it is best to consult a doctor. Trying to clean it out yourself usually results in infection of the hole.

6. Do not rinse the area of the hole on the first day, use lotions, baths, ointments, compresses, etc., except when recommended by your doctor. Due to rinsing and bathing on the day of surgery, the blood clot is often dissolved and washed out.

7. Careful oral hygiene. Teeth should be cleaned regularly, 2 times a day in those places that are not adjacent to the hole of the extracted tooth. Use for cleaning minimal amount toothpaste (may not be used at all) toothpaste) to make cleaning easier. After tooth extraction, you can not use the irrigator.

8. The use of cold is mostly justified. A cold compress not only constricts blood vessels and reduces the risk of edema, but also reduces blood flow in the area of operation, prevents the development of postoperative inflammation. It is best to consult your doctor about the use of cold compresses.

9. Patients suffering from diseases of cardio-vascular system, it is imperative to monitor blood pressure and take appropriate medications. In 90% of cases, the cause of alveolar bleeding, the appearance of edema or hematoma is an increase in blood pressure. Therefore stable arterial pressure - necessary condition comfortable postoperative period.

10. If the doctor prescribes you medications, then it is necessary to take them, according to the scheme proposed by the doctor.

11. If something bothers you, or you have additional questions about your well-being, then first of all contact your doctor.

It is important to understand that the body perceives the extraction of a tooth as an injury and gives it an appropriate reaction - post-traumatic inflammation. Its nature largely depends on both the volume of intervention and the state of your body. The purpose of the recommendations and appointments that the doctor gives you is the elimination of this inflammation. Therefore, how the postoperative period will take place, how comfortable and calm it will be, largely depends on you.

It would seem that after the extraction of a tooth, all fears and pains were left behind. However, relief after long suffering from toothache is often replaced by anxiety from the appearance of new problems. by the most frequent complication in this case, there is swelling after tooth extraction. What to do in this case, and when similar sign signals the development of serious complications?

Most of us do not consider tooth extraction something out of the ordinary. Although we must not forget that it is still surgical intervention. Naturally, ruptured vessels and tissues will be swollen and painful, and this is absolutely normal. The more complex the intervention, the stronger these phenomena. Even uncomplicated removal leads to the usual swelling of the tissues. And since any swelling and pain are associated with stagnation and local deterioration of blood circulation, inflammation is quite simple to occur. The pain is especially strong after the end of the action of painkillers. Normally, swelling and soreness quickly pass, and the hole is tightened.

Physiological local swelling of tissues after tooth extraction is not a complication or a threat to the patient's health.

The reasons

When a tooth is removed, there are a number of reasons that can easily lead to complications and the need for subsequent treatment.

The duration of edema after tooth extraction directly depends on the qualifications of the doctor, the type of anesthesia, the complexity of the intervention, the quality of the antiseptic.

The main reasons that can make edema the first step in the onset of inflammation in the oral cavity can be:

Dryness of the tooth socket, which is the result of the absence of a blood clot to protect against infection.
Allergy to the drugs used during removal (antiseptic, painkillers).
Illiterate treatment by the doctor of the tooth hole after removal with subsequent entry into it pathogenic microflora(soft tissue remnants, exudate, dental deposits).
Incomplete extraction of a tooth, when an inter-root septum, fragments of a tooth or a root part remain in the wound. Often, bone fragments remain in the gum after the removal of teeth that have been severely damaged by the disease.
The presence that remains after deletion. Usually, tooth extraction is combined with oral cavity sanitation and requires the appointment of antibiotics.

When swelling is predetermined

Everyone knows that it is necessary to contact the dentist as soon as the tooth begins to bother. However, in reality, it often turns out according to the principle “until the thunder breaks out ...” Tooth extraction, of course, is last resort in dentistry. Such an operation is most often performed when the disease is already running. Therefore, often a wound in the mouth after tooth extraction is adjacent to problems of an infectious-inflammatory nature or common diseases. In such cases, it is unlikely to avoid complications in the form of pain and swelling.

Cases where it is impossible to avoid soft tissue swelling after tooth extraction include:

(inflammation of the tooth socket) from infection from the oral cavity. This is a particularly common cause of pain and swelling after tooth extraction surgery. Alveolitis often accompanies removal in chronic inflammatory processes teeth (periodontitis) or mouth (stomatitis). At the same time, the development of an infection already present in the mouth after removal receives a new round. Alveolitis, in addition to swelling, is characterized by severe pain and bad smell from mouth.
Combination of removal with a forced gum incision. This happens with purulent processes (abscess), which increases swelling. An incision in the mucosa is necessary for the release of pus from the tissues.
A particularly traumatic removal procedure (for example, impacted or). In this case, the tooth sits tightly in the jaw and it has to be “pulled out” from there, which inevitably leads to swelling of the soft tissues.
After the removal of the third molars (they are also called "wisdom teeth" or "eights"). The specific location of these teeth suggests traumatic removal, with unchanged postoperative edema and pain.
General health problems. With many pathologies (diseases of blood vessels, blood, reduced immunity, hypertension, diabetes), tooth extraction is often experienced more difficult, accompanied by prolonged edema and pain.

In such cases, swelling is unlikely to be avoided. However, often in similar situations swelling goes away on its own, without requiring additional medical intervention.

When swelling is not dangerous

Swelling of the gums or cheeks does not always wear pathological character. There is no need to panic or worry if:

general condition is satisfactory;
swelling is not accompanied by fever (if it was not before removal);
swelling is in one place (usually in the gums or cheeks) and does not go to the face;
the pain is tolerable and lasts no longer than 2-5 days;
cheek swelling is hardly noticeable, disappears after 3-4 hours and is not accompanied by increased pain;
no redness on the skin or mucous membranes;
no suppuration, as evidenced by the absence of severe pain, bad smell and taste in the mouth.

If the temperature before removal was elevated, then on the first day after the intervention it may rise slightly (37-37.5 degrees).

Pain after removal is always present to some extent when the effect of anesthesia comes out. The so-called "background" pain of a aching nature can be in the first days after removal. After complex removal discomfort can be for 2 weeks. The main thing is that the pain gradually decreases.

If there are no alarming symptoms, then at first it is enough to simply observe the edema. The main thing is the gradual reduction of swelling and pain.

When there is cause for concern

There are situations when complications begin after tooth extraction. Then swelling becomes a sign of pathology. The combination of puffiness of the cheek or gums with other dangerous symptoms is alarming:

Swelling is accompanied by redness of the mucous membranes or skin, shortness of breath, tachycardia. Possible rash in various places upper body. Sometimes these signs can be an indicator of an allergic reaction. Here quick help physicians is necessary, since anaphylactic shock can lead to the death of the patient.
Missing toothache with severe swelling of the gums or cheeks. This may be an indicator of poor-quality canal treatment and provoke pulpitis or the formation of cysts.
The swelling has spread to the face.
The body temperature is above 38 degrees and continues to rise, and the state of health is deteriorating. There may be worsening of swallowing or pain when moving the jaw. It is important here to exclude an acute purulent process that passes to the jaw (osteomyelitis, phlegmon, abscess).
The pain lasts for several days and does not decrease. A visit to the doctor is necessary here.
A sharp "bad" smell from the mouth often occurs with pus in the hole from the tooth.
After normalization of the condition, the edema returned again.

Even one similar symptom becomes a good reason to visit a doctor. And to delay a visit to dentistry is not worth it. A frivolous attitude to such manifestations can have serious complications up to and including death.

How and how to remove swelling after tooth extraction

With the physiological form of swelling, they usually do without treatment. However, you can speed up the healing process using approved methods. For this, at home, they usually use:

Applying cold (ice, water bottle, frozen food) to the cheek through a tissue layer at the site of swelling. You can use a wet towel. A wet cold compress is especially indicated when removing "wisdom teeth". Cold is applied for 15 minutes during the day.
Soda-salt compresses for 15 minutes in an hour 2-3 times. To do this, half a teaspoon of soda and a teaspoon of salt are poured into a glass warm water. Soak a cotton pad in this solution and apply to the cheek.
Rinsing the mouth with salt solutions (1 tsp per glass of water) or furacilin, diluted with propolis tincture (5 drops per glass of water), herbal decoctions(sage, oak bark, calendula or chamomile) 3-4 times a day. Do not be zealous with rinsing after the removal of "wisdom teeth". In this case, it is better to collect the solution and keep it in the mouth. If there was a dissection of the gums, then you can rinse your mouth no earlier than 2 days after the operation.
"Aggressive" types of food are excluded: food should be soft, chopped and gentle (eat no earlier than 3 hours after removal).
Sleep with the head of the bed raised. This eliminates puffiness.
Decongestants ( homeopathic preparations"Traumeel" or "Lymphomyosot", antiallergic drugs "Suprastin", "Loratadin", etc.)

Specialized assistance

Depending on the severity of complications, pathological edema after tooth extraction can be treated in an outpatient setting. AT serious cases the patient is also offered inpatient treatment.

What awaits such a patient in the hospital?

The patient must be examined. If there is suppuration in the wound (with a dry wound, alveolitis, periostitis), the wound will be sanitized with the removal of tooth fragments and purulent contents. Washing with antiseptics (chlorhexidine, furacilin, dioxidine) and the introduction of antibiotics (oxamp, cefazolin) are used.
If there is an abscess, it is opened and a drain is placed to remove the discharge from the wound.
AT postoperative period antibiotics are usually additionally used in tablets or injections (for example, ofloxacin), anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, ketorol), immunostimulants of natural or synthetic origin (velferon, immunal), vitamin complexes, proteolytic enzymes (trypsin, chymotrypsin).
If there is a suspicion of anaphylactic shock(sharp swelling, shortness of breath, panic) the patient is urgently hospitalized in intensive care unit and provide emergency care(first of all, hormones are administered, antihistamines). In difficult cases, a tracheotomy may be performed to restore breathing.

What is prohibited with edema

Even if the extraction of a tooth was very difficult and traumatic, there are rules of conduct after extraction that prevent the appearance of pathological edema.

Although physiological edema does not pose a health hazard, you should not overdo it with its self-liquidation. Otherwise, instead of benefiting, it’s easy to cause significant harm to health.

You can not use painkillers on your own repeatedly if the temperature, swelling or pain at the site of removal increases. In this case clinical picture will be deleted, but pathological process will spread and intensify.

After tooth extraction, the following rules must be observed:

Sit still for 30 minutes after removal.
Keep the swab in your mouth for at least 30-40 minutes and no more.
Start eating no earlier than 2-3 hours after the operation. Dishes should be soft and at body temperature. You have to try to chew healthy side jaws. Do not use spicy, salty or spicy foods.
Carefully start using rinses (preferably not earlier than 3-5 hours after removal).

Rinsing immediately after tooth extraction destroys the blood clot and allows the pathological microflora to penetrate deep into the cavity.

If the doctor has prescribed drugs (antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs), it is important to use them according to the scheme.
A few days do not use alcohol, smoking, carbonated drinks.
Hot drinks or food, heavy exercise stress, visits to the sauna or bath are excluded on the day of tooth extraction.
In the first two or three days, brushing at the site of the wound is not performed.
It is undesirable to press with hands or any objects on the site of swelling (to protect against infectious complications).

Do not panic if swelling appears after tooth extraction. This phenomenon is entirely physiological and does not pose a threat to health. However, it is important to take care of yourself and your well-being at this moment. The possibility of complications after any surgical intervention real. And arrogance and carelessness in this case can be harmful to health and contribute to unnecessary financial costs.