Hi doctor, I am a 19-year-old female. I had my wisdom teeth taken out about four days ago, and now the gum behind where the wisdom tooth used to be is very swollen and causing pain.
Hello. I have been through your query and I can understand your concern. Pain after the extraction is normal and that too for the wisdom tooth which often requires surgical intervention. However, if the pain is still present after four days (provided the extraction did not require any major surgery), it might be due to the infection of the extraction site which is often called as dry socket. Dry socket is associated with the severe pain in the extraction site and also a fetid odor of the mouth. It is also characterised by the inability to wide open the mouth properly. If you have these symptoms, then it is the case of dry socket. In that case, I would suggest you to have a visit to your dentist who extracted your wisdom tooth and get the wound cleaned up properly along with the medications. Meanwhile continue the post-extraction instructions that your dentist must have given to you like do not suck on the liquids or using a pipe to drink liquid or beverages, slight talking, etc. In case of the pain (if you have severe pain) I would advise you to disperse two tablets of Ketorol DT in the glass of water and then drink it (after visiting your drug history and only if you do not have any drug allergy). Just take Ketorol DT only once as they are very potent and repeated use of them might cause some side effects. However, if you have bearable pain and not the above symptoms then it is the case of regular post extraction pain and swelling. You continue the medication that your dentist has given to you for three more days. For swelling, you can use normal saline mouth rinses but rinse the mouth very gently as rigorous swish might dislocate the clot over the wound and may cause pain. Also, avoid touching the surface with your finger and tongue. Maintain good oral hygiene, brush twice daily and floss regularly with regular mouth rinses.