Infected Wisdom Tooth Extraction – 11 Indicators To not Miss!

Wisdom teeth removal is a common procedure that almost everybody goes through once in their lifetime. It is not a critical process, yet if aftercare instructions are not followed, the situation can get difficult. One of the complications after a wisdom tooth extraction is an infected wound site. In this blog, we have discussed a few signs that show up, which include bad breath, a bitter taste in the mouth, etc. Read on for more.

Why Do You Need Wisdom tooth Extraction?

Usually, it depends on your tooth growth whether or not you will need an extraction or not. In case the tooth is impacted, or at an angle, bacteria and food debris can collect and multiply there, resulting in an infection.

11 Signs Indicating an Infected Wisdom Tooth Extraction Site

1. You won’t be able to eat properly for the first few days, but that gets better with time. However, if difficulty in breathing or swallowing your food is constant, then you must get in touch with a dentist.
2. Neither OTC nor prescribed drugs are working to ease dental pain.
3. Dislodging of blood scab and formation of dry socket.
4. Extraction site swelling up.
5. The feeling of anesthesia numbing not going away after 24 hours pass.
6. Pus development in the socket.
7. Abscess coming out from the site of wisdom tooth extraction because it’s infected.
8. Halitosis and/or a bad taste in the mouth, even after using a saltwater rinse or dedicated mouthwash.
9. Jaw pain so severe that mouth opening and closing becomes difficult.
10. Fever spike right after the procedure.
11. ENT is connected; if you find pus or blood coming out from your nose after a wisdom tooth is extracted, chances are that the site is infected.
12. Excessive blood oozing out from the surgical site.
13. Swollen lymph nodes near the site of action do serve as an indicator for this issue.

How To Treat Wisdom Tooth Extraction Infection

Treatment for wisdom teeth infection depends on the severity of your overall condition. However, here are a few common routes:

1. Deep dental cleaning before wisdom teeth extraction and the surrounding teeth and gums.
2. Use of antiseptic mouthwash beforehand and after.
3. Antibiotics to get rid of the infection.
4. Minor wisdom tooth extraction infection often goes away itself in a few days. Meanwhile, you can take OTC – over-the-counter painkillers like Ibuprofen or Tylenol to ease the pain, discomfort, or any sort of swelling.
5. Using a saltwater mouth rinse provides symptomatic relief as well as gets rid of pain and bacterial load at the site.
6. Make sure not to forget about cleaning the site of action. Gently brush around the wisdom teeth extracted site to remove food debris and plaque so that it does not form an infection.

Final Words

You must follow the aftercare protocol to avoid any unfortunate infection situation after extraction. However, do not worry if you detect any signs mentioned above. Contact one of the tooth extraction experts from Precision Smile Dentistry. We are located in Washington DC and Stafford, Virginia.