My cheeks swelled up again 5 weeks after my wisdom teeth removal.?

Question

About 5 weeks ago I got two lower and one upper wisdom teeth removed. There were no complications and of course the week following the surgery my cheeks were swollen, especially my lower left cheek. A week after I had them removed, the swelling was gone and the wounds almost fully healed. However, two weeks ago I got a pain in the lower left cheek and that night my cheek swelled to size that had after my surgery. I had some leftover antibiotics from the surgery, so I took those and by the end of the week it was gone. Then one week later my cheek swelled up again, but this time just slightly. It's been swollen for the past 4 days with a slight pain. When I touch the swelled area, I can feel that something is enlarged and hard.

What are some complications that can happen with wisdom teeth removal that would cause this? What steps should I take to stop and prevent this swelling?

Answer 1

Yes, you definitely need to get this checked out.  It is not common for extraction sites to get re-infected that long after surgery, but it is *possible*.  Like the other person said, maybe there is something that was left inside or what not that is causing it.

Also, it definitely could be another tooth causing the symptoms.

Answer 2

It sounds like you may have an infection. You may have got food down in the extraction site and now you are healed on the outside but in the inside you might have something going on. If you took the antibiotics and it went down that is another sign it may be infected. I would call your oral surgeon and explain to him what is going on. Sometimes antibiotics alone will not get rid of this. He may have to open it up and drain it. This sounds bad but it is not at all. Don't let this go untreated. Take care!