How long did it take for your wisdom teeth to heal?

Question

I had my wisdom teeth out ten days ago. I can barely open my mouth. Is this normal? I went to the doctor yesterday and she said I should be fine soon but it just seems weird that I can still barely open my mouth. I can't open it wide enough to even fit my thumb in between my teeth and I can't brush my teeth even with a toddler toothbrush.

Has anyone else experienced this? My oral surgeon seems to just blow off a lot of my concerns so I'm looking for some opinions before I try going to another doctor.

Answer 1

After surgery, a 48 to 72 hour recovery is expected. Patients are reevaluated after this time to assess healing and to intercept any complications that may occur. This is very advantageous to the patient.

Bleeding is expected post operatively and can continue up to 10 hours after any procedure. Even a little blood seems like a lot in the mouth due to a mixture with saliva. Saliva can increase what appears to be high concentrations of blood by 10 times. Pressure on the surgical site is most important for bleeding control. If sutures were placed at the time of the surgery, pressure will almost always stop bleeding. A tea bag wrapped in a piece of gauze is also helpful. The tannic acid in the tea constricts tiny blood vessels in the wound and helps to form a clot.

Swelling is to be expected post operatively. Swelling can last for several days and can be significant in some patients. Ice is helpful in keeping the swelling to a minimum. Elevating the patient's head the first couple of nights while sleeping may also help. Steroids given at the time of surgery are a most effective weapon in the battle against selling. They are routinely used intravenously unless medically contraindicated. An interesting phenomena can occur when intravenous steroids are used however. Some patients experience what is called rebound swelling from the medications. in this scenario, patients will experience no swelling following the surgery or the following day but wake up two days after surgery with swelling. not to panic, it responds quickly to ice.

Another complication following wisdom tooth removal is pain in the muscles surrounding the jaws which affects the function of the jaw joint.

Infection following the extraction of wisdom teeth is not a common complication. Natural immune mechanisms help to protect the surgical site. Antibiotics are prescribed by some oral surgeons after surgery although there is no documentation in the literature to support the use of antibiotics prophylatically. Some patients will experience localized inflammation and infection in the tooth socket 48 hours after surgery. This has commonly been called a dry socket. It is not dry, however, and the name is derived from the clinical appearance of the socket which is commonly void of a normal blood clot or granulating (healing) tissue. This post operative complication is best treated with a medicated dressing placed in the extraction site. It typically contains local anesthetic ointment that soothes the surgical site. If this is ineffective, it usually means the pain is originating in another tooth (most commonly the tooth in front of the wisdom tooth site), or from the muscles surrounding the surgical region. These muscles are used during opening and closing of the jaw and can be aggravated post operatively by overeating, grinding, and heavy chewing. Treatment of this type of pain requires not only a dressing in the surgical site but also anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxants and in some cases post operative physical therapy for the muscles

Answer 2

I had my (bottom) wisdom teeth extracted a little over a week ago and am still experiencing significant soreness of the jaw (though not to such a severe degree as to prevent my mouth from opening). My dentist also assured me the wounds were healing properly, though I'm still somewhat worried because most people I know recovered much more quickly with seemingly less discomfort.

Answer 3

Your wisdom teeth don't heal, your gums do. I didn't have problems of not  being able to open my mouth like you are, but I did have some jaw discomfort & didn't attempt to open it any further than necessary for a good week. If the oral surgeon had to tug & twist on your teeth to extract them,  like mine did, then that  would explain why you can't open your mouth very far. Ask your dentist if that occurred during extraction. If you aren't able to open your mouth any further than what you're able to do now, & your dentist blows you off again, then  please see another dentist if you'd feel better. Make sure your insurance will cover that office visit/consultation. Feel better soon.