Swelling of the wisdom tooth | Wisdom tooth

Swelling of the wisdom tooth

Swelling of the soft tissues (gums) can occur when wisdom teeth are erupted. It is often a symptom of the more difficult tooth eruption and is accompanied by pain, swollen lymph nodes and possibly a jaw clamp. Especially the lower wisdom teeth are affected.Since in the majority of cases the teeth break through only partially or at an angle, hygiene is very difficult.

An inflammation of the gums can occur and thus further promote swelling. A single occurrence of these complaints is not yet a problem. However, if this occurs more frequently, the wisdom tooth concerned should be removed so that the preceding tooth is not damaged.

Surgery on wisdom tooth / wisdom tooth to be pulled

If one or more wisdom teeth are to be removed, a detailed consultation must have taken place at least one day before. The dentist must personally inform the patient about the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the risks and complications, and any questions raised should be clarified. This consultation must not be taken over by the dental assistant.

The extraction, as the tooth extraction is also called, begins after inspection of the oral cavity with local anesthesia. The tooth nerve is anaesthetized with a syringe so that no more pain stimuli are transmitted. However, a slight pulling or pushing during the operation is normal.

After the anesthesia takes effect, the dentist begins with the removal. In the case of wisdom teeth in the lower jaw, a mucous membrane incision is often necessary to make the tooth completely visible. Depending on how deep the tooth is, even the bone under the gum has to be milled away.

If the wisdom tooth is completely visible, it is levered out of its tooth socket with another instrument, the Bein’s lever. If the tooth is very crooked or has strongly curved roots, it is divided and then removed in several pieces. After checking that the tooth has been completely extracted, the inflammatory tissue is removed.

To do this, the tooth compartment is scraped out with a spoon-like instrument. If the wound is very large, a medication can be placed in the alveolus before the mucous membrane is sutured in the correct position again. In the upper jaw, the teeth usually emerge completely from the mucosa, so that no additional mucosal incision is necessary here.

However, a connection to the maxillary sinus can be found here if the wisdom tooth had long roots. This frequent complication, also called oral-antrum connection, can be confirmed by simple tests. The wound must then be closed with a suture to prevent chronic inflammation caused by a persistent connection between the mouth and the maxillary sinus.

After all wounds have been closed, the dentist usually explains the correct post-operative behaviour. In the first days after the operation, it is important to cool the cheek well to avoid swelling, to avoid smoking and to eat soft food. In this way the risk of inflammation can be reduced to a minimum.

Afterwards the patient is discharged with a prescription for the important medications. Usually a wound check the day after is followed by a suture removal after about one week. This could also be interesting for you: Pulling a wisdom tooth under general anesthesia – when does that make sense?