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Complications after tooth extraction
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025

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Like any other surgical intervention, tooth extraction may not go very smoothly. In addition to bleeding, the following complications occur after tooth extraction: swelling, infectious inflammation at the extraction site, temperature. With modern methods of tooth extraction, infectious inflammation develops in very rare cases. If signs of inflammation appear, first of all, it is necessary to determine whether a piece of the root or instrument remains in the socket, which leads to gum suppuration and serious consequences for the entire body as a whole. In case of infectious inflammations in the oral cavity, it is necessary to take antibiotics that the doctor will recommend, usually ciprolet is used in these cases.
Another complication after surgical tooth extraction is a "dry" socket. It occurs when the blood clot necessary for the natural process of wound healing has not formed in the socket or has been removed (for example, during rinsing). One of the reasons that leads to a dry socket may be an operation that was performed too traumatically, which causes alveolitis - inflammation at the site of tooth extraction (swelling, fever, etc.). Another unpleasant complication is osteomyelitis, which is a severe form of alveolitis. Osteomyelitis is characterized by severe pain in the socket and adjacent tissues, high fever, weakness, swelling of the gums and cheeks. In this case, the inflammatory process can also affect adjacent teeth. Osteomyelitis is treated surgically, after which mandatory inpatient recovery is required. Although the disease is quite severe, this type of complication develops in very rare cases.
The appearance of a gap between the maxillary sinuses and the upper jaw - a complication that appears after teeth in the upper row that had large roots located in close proximity to the maxillary sinuses (usually the 5th or 6th tooth in the upper row) were removed.
When extracting a tooth, the surgeon may accidentally touch nearby nerve endings, which will lead to numbness of the soft parts of the oral cavity (lips, tongue, etc.). Usually, numbness goes away after the nerves recover, which takes several weeks.
A dislocation or fracture of the lower jaw occurs when there is strong pressure on the jaw or when removing a tooth with very large roots or one with a large cyst on the root.
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Complications after wisdom tooth removal
After the removal of a wisdom tooth, the gums often begin to hurt due to severe damage. In some cases, the adjacent nerve may be affected, resulting in numbness of the lips, mouth, etc. This phenomenon is called paresthesia and usually occurs in older people after the removal of a complex tooth. Sometimes complications after tooth extraction can affect adjacent teeth or dentures. In addition, excessive pressure on the jaw during the removal process can cause dislocation or fracture.
A common complication that develops after the removal of a wisdom tooth is alveolitis, which develops as a result of a dry socket. A small blood clot should form in the wound after the tooth is removed, which prevents microbes from getting inside, as a result of which the process of tissue tightening and restoration occurs faster. If the blood clot does not form for some reason, this leads to inflammation, which manifests itself as acute pain a couple of days after the tooth is removed. In this case, you should immediately contact a dentist to carry out the necessary treatment in a timely manner and prevent more complex complications. In addition to cleaning the socket and compresses with a special solution, a course of antibiotics may be needed to prevent further spread of the infection.
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Complications after dental cyst removal
A dental cyst appears as a result of the body trying to cope with an infection brought into the root canal of the tooth. The affected cells die off, around which a dense membrane is formed, which isolates the dead cells from the healthy ones; the size of such a formation can be from several millimeters to several centimeters. Usually, a cyst is detected on X-rays. Cysts most often form on the front teeth, wisdom teeth. A tooth root cyst usually develops as a result of improper tooth extraction. Chronic periodontitis is the cause of the development of a cyst on the tooth root.
Usually, the cyst is detected at a late stage, when treatment is no longer possible, so surgical removal of the cyst is most often prescribed. There are several types of cyst removal operations:
- cystotomy, which involves partial removal to clear out accumulated pus. This surgery is indicated for large cysts, when there is a risk of damage to adjacent tissues, teeth, and when pus prevents healing. The surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia.
- Cystectomy is the most common surgical treatment method, in which the tooth itself is preserved, and only the cyst itself and the root tip of the tooth are removed.
- Hymesection is performed when it is not possible to save the root of the tooth. In this case, the cyst, root and part of the tooth are removed, after which restoration (crown) is performed. This operation is the most gentle in relation to the tooth.
In some cases, dentists are forced to use cyst removal at the same time as the tooth, since all other treatment methods are ineffective. As a result of such surgical treatment, severe complications may develop after tooth and cyst removal. First of all, this is inflammation due to possible remaining fragments in the jaw. Such a process may cause the cyst to reappear. Too large cysts on the roots of teeth during removal may lead to dislocation or even fracture of the lower jaw.
Complications after tooth extraction surgery
As with any other surgical intervention, bleeding occurs during tooth extraction. After a certain period of time, the blood in the socket begins to clot and the profuse bleeding from the wound stops. In some cases, longer bleeding is observed or resumes after some time. Usually, this is influenced by local causes, less often it occurs against a general background. Bleeding is provoked by damage to blood vessels, bones and soft tissues, after an overly traumatic operation during which there was a rupture of the gum or oral cavity, a fracture of the interalveolar septum, part of the alveoli, etc. If the blood comes from the depth of the socket, this may be due to damage to one of the large branches of the artery. Also, severe bleeding occurs with inflammation in the adjacent tissues, since the vessels begin to expand.
After tooth extraction, a person is under the influence of painkillers, some time after the operation, bleeding from the socket may occur (secondary). This is caused by the fact that the drug first causes vasoconstriction, and after a few hours it promotes their expansion, resulting in bleeding. If a few days after tooth extraction, bleeding begins from the socket, this means that an inflammatory process and suppuration have begun, such complications after tooth extraction require an urgent examination by a specialist. Also, continuous bleeding from the socket for a long time can be provoked by diseases in which the functioning of the vascular system is disrupted or damaged (acute leukemia, scarlet fever, homorrhagic vasculitis, etc.).
After a tooth has been removed, there may be pain in the socket, the intensity of which depends on the trauma of the operation. The pain appears after the painkiller has worn off, usually after a while the painful sensations decrease and completely disappear, in some cases it is necessary to take an analgesic tablet. Sometimes the socket begins to hurt a few days after the tooth has been removed, it interferes with sleep, and does not decrease after taking analgesics. The cause of such pain is most likely the inflammation that has begun in the socket, which occurs as a result of a highly traumatic operation to remove a tooth, which significantly reduces the protective properties of the tissues and promotes the proliferation of bacteria.
Treatment of complications after tooth extraction
The process of tooth extraction is a complex medical operation, which is accompanied by trauma to adjacent tissues. The body reacts to any injury with pain, swelling, bleeding - this is a physiological process and does not require special treatment. With normal healing of the socket after tooth extraction, pain and swelling go away in 2 - 3 days. In the event that the swelling does not subside, becomes larger, the pain intensifies, the temperature rises, complications have begun after tooth extraction and it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible.
A slight body temperature, which can be observed in the first few days after a tooth extraction operation, is a normal physiological process; if the temperature is not higher than 38 degrees, there is no need to take antipyretics. But a long-lasting temperature should alert a person, since it indicates an inflammatory process in the body.
Pain after tooth extraction occurs as a result of soft tissue trauma, damage to nerve endings. Pain appears not only directly at the extraction site, but also in nearby teeth, lymph nodes, throat, etc. In this case, treatment consists of taking over-the-counter painkillers.
If the pain does not go away for several days, does not decrease after taking medications, is accompanied by swelling, temperature - you need to urgently consult a doctor. Sometimes this can be caused by a local allergic reaction to the anesthetic drugs used, which requires drug treatment.
The most common complication that develops after tooth extraction is alveolitis (an inflammatory process in the socket), suppuration as a result of infection. All these complications, in addition to pain and swelling, can cause an unpleasant odor in the mouth, general weakness. If treatment is not started in a timely manner, gaps in the gum, cysts, abscesses, and phlegmon may appear.
Treatment depends on the stage of inflammation and the patient's condition. Sometimes the doctor uses opening of the purulent focus, scraping of the socket, drainage of tissues, etc. Also, depending on the patient's condition and the severity of the inflammation, the doctor can prescribe a course of antibacterial therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins, etc.
After extraction, it is recommended not to rinse the mouth for the first few days. In this case, rinsing can provoke the washing out of the blood clot from the socket, and this can lead to serious complications, in particular, caused by dry socket. Treatment in this case consists of reducing inflammation, both locally and generally. In some cases, thorough rinsing of the socket with special antiseptic solutions, followed by treatment with ointment or paste. After this, general anti-inflammatory and restorative treatment is prescribed.
Paresthesia, accompanied by numbness of the entire oral cavity or individual parts. Treatment is carried out with vitamin preparations of groups B and C, injections of galantamine, dibazol.
Dislocations and fractures, which rarely occur during tooth extraction, are not diagnosed in a timely manner in most cases. First of all, this is prevented by the anesthesia used during the operation. Symptoms that appear over time are often associated with infection and inflammation in the oral cavity. When a fracture or dislocation of the lower jaw is detected, fixation and prevention of the infectious and inflammatory process is carried out (antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, vitamin preparations).
The appearance of a gap between the maxillary sinus and the upper jaw prevents the formation of a blood clot; in this case, an operation is performed to stitch the edges of the gums and with subsequent anti-inflammatory therapy.
Complications after tooth extraction can develop not only due to the patient's fault (failure to follow recommendations, regimen), but also due to the fault of the dentist, who may perform the tooth extraction operation too traumatically. The more adjacent tissues are damaged during tooth extraction, the higher the risk of complications, since in this case the protective properties deteriorate, and bacteria more easily penetrate into the damaged area, causing severe inflammatory processes. It is extremely important to consult a dentist at the first sign of inflammation (temperature that does not subside for a long time, increasing swelling, pain, etc.). The sooner you start treatment, the less the consequences will be and the faster the full recovery will come.