How long does your jaw hurt after wisdom tooth extraction

It can take up to 2 weeks to fully recover after having your wisdom teeth removed (extracted).

Table of Contents Show

Self-care advice
Working and driving
Returning to normal
Complications
Nerve injury
What to Expect
Taking Care of Yourself After Surgery
Recovery Time
How to Speed Up Healing
Foods to Eat and Foods to Avoid
Why does my jaw still hurt a week after wisdom teeth removal?
Is it normal to have jaw pain 5 days after wisdom teeth removal?
Why does my jaw still hurt 3 weeks after wisdom teeth removal?
Is it normal to have pain 6 days after wisdom teeth removal?

During this time, you may experience:

pain – this is worse if you had a complicated extraction
swelling of your mouth and cheeks – gently pressing a cold cloth to your face helps to reduce the swelling
a stiff, sore jaw – you may have bruised skin around your jaw for up to 2 weeks
an unpleasant taste in your mouth
tingling or numbness of your face, lips or tongue (although this is uncommon)

Self-care advice

To reduce pain and help yourself to recover, it can be helpful to:

use painkillers recommended by your dentist (always follow the dosage instructions)
avoid heavy levels of activity and exercise for a few days
use an extra pillow to support your head at night
avoid rinsing, spitting or hot drinks for 24 hours
avoid anything that may dislodge the blood clots that form in the extraction site
avoid drinking alcohol and smoking
eat soft or liquid food for a few days and chew with your other teeth
gently rinse the extraction site with antiseptic mouthwash recommended by your dentist. Do this after 24 hours and repeat regularly over the next few days
use warm water with a teaspoon of salt as a mouthwash to reduce gum soreness and inflammation

Working and driving

It's usually recommended that you take a day or 2 off work after having a wisdom tooth removed.

You can drive immediately after a local anaesthetic.

Do not drive for 24 hours if a sedative was used. Do not drive for 48 hours if the extraction was done under general anaesthetic.

Returning to normal

After any swelling and bruising have disappeared, your mouth should return to normal.

You'll usually be able to brush your teeth normally after a few days. Make sure you finish any course of antibiotics you're taking.

You may have to go to a check-up appointment around a week or so after the extraction. At this point, your dentist will remove any remaining stitches.

Complications

As with any procedure, removing your wisdom teeth carries some risks. But, these risks are usually small.

Risks can include:

dry socket – where a blood clot does not develop in the tooth socket, or if the blood clot becomes dislodged
nerve injury – this can cause pain and numbness
infection – yellow or white discharge coming from the extraction site with a high temperature, pain and swelling
bleeding

Dry socket

This can happen 3 to 5 days after surgery. The empty socket causes an ache or throbbing pain in your gum or jaw, which can be intense. There may also be an unpleasant smell or taste from the empty tooth socket. If you look into the socket, you might be able to see exposed bone rather than a blood clot.

You're more at risk of developing dry socket if:

you do not follow your dentist's instructions after the extraction
you smoke
you've had the condition before
you're over 25 years old
you had a complicated extraction

Talk to your dentist if you suspect you have dry socket. They can flush any debris out of the socket or cover it with a medicated dressing.

Nerve injury

Nerve injury is rare. This can cause pain, a tingling sensation and numbness in the tongue, lower lip, chin, teeth and gums.

In most cases, the damage is temporary, lasting for a few weeks or months. But, it can be permanent if the nerve has been severely damaged. A nerve injury can make things such as eating and drinking, difficult and painful.

Content supplied by the NHS and adapted for Ireland by the HSE

Wisdom teeth removal is one of the most common dental surgeries and can be associated with some painful memories for many adults. It seems like everyone has a story about their experience, whether it's what crazy thing they said while the anesthesia was wearing off or what they wish they would've known about recovery before going under. To help keep recovery stories on the lighter side, we made a quick overview of what to expect after your wisdom teeth extraction and how to make your recovery as painless as possible.

What to Expect

The wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the last adult teeth to surface, usually between the ages of 17 and 21. Wisdom teeth are not necessary for a healthy smile, and not everyone keeps them. If wisdom teeth do not grow in properly, which usually happens because they do not have enough room to emerge, they can create serious problems. When this happens, the wisdom teeth can crowd the mouth and cause future oral health problems like pain and infection.

According to the American Dental Association, people should have their wisdom teeth checked before the age of 20 to see how they are growing in and check for wisdom teeth impaction while the roots are developing. Your dentist or oral surgeon will most likely recommend that you have the final molars removed in a single outpatient procedure. Although wisdom tooth extraction is an outpatient procedure, it is considered a form of major surgery. During the surgery, general anesthesia or local anesthesia, will be used to make it more comfortable, but after it wears off, you can expect some discomfort and pain. Ask your dentist which type of sedation to expect so you can be prepared when you wake up from surgery, at which time recovery begins.

Taking Care of Yourself After Surgery

After your wisdom teeth removal, you can expect to have some pain, swelling, and light bleeding. Your dentist should tell you how to take care of your mouth after the surgery, but here are some of the most common suggestions for a healthy recovery.

Be careful not to dislodge the blood clot form where your teeth were removed
Avoid brushing, spitting, flossing, rinsing, or drinking from a straw for the first day of recovery
Do not consume solid foods, alcohol, coffee, soda or hot beverages in the first few days after your surgery

Recovery Time

Wisdom teeth recovery usually takes three to four days. However, if your teeth were impacted, it could take as long a week to heal. Pain after wisdom tooth extraction usually lasts from 3 days to one week, unless you experience an infection or dry socket, which happens when the blood clot gets dislodged from the extraction site. You can expect swelling of the mouth and cheeks to go down in 2-3 days and the stiffness and soreness to go away in 7-10 days.

How to Speed Up Healing

There are plenty of things you can do to speed up healing during your wisdom teeth recovery.

Take it easy for the first few days. In most cases, you can resume normal activities after the first day, but it would be best to wait about a week. You don't want to do anything that could dislodge the blood clot from the removal site.
Place an ice pack over your jaw to help with swelling. The cold from the ice pack helps reduce inflammation and the discomfort that comes with it.
For pain management, you can take a prescription pain killer prescribed by your oral surgeon, or you can take a recommended over-the-counter pain reliever.
After the first day, gently rinse your mouth with salt water a few times a day to help keep it clean and prevent infection.

Foods to Eat and Foods to Avoid

Staying hydrated and eating healthy after your wisdom teeth removal is an important factor for a healthy recovery. However, you may need to change some eating habits for the first week or so following the procedure. Here are some foods to eat, and some to avoid, during wisdom teeth recovery.

Eat. For the first few days after surgery, start by eating soft foods that don’t require chewing, such as:

Soup
Yogurt
Soft noodles
Eggs
Cottage cheese
Apple sauce
Pudding
Mashed potatoes
Smoothies (TIP: Don’t drink through a straw. It could dislodge your blood clot or ruin stitches.)

Avoid. Some foods can easily get into the sockets and in teeth and cause pain and damage to the healing wounds. Avoid eating foods like:

Sticky candy
Chewing gum
Hard, crunchy food like chips, pretzels, nuts, and seeds
Extremely hot food

Getting your wisdom teeth removed is a procedure you should take seriously but not something to fear. The recovery period usually takes a few days, and, in some cases, there may still be swelling and discomfort for a week or more. You can help reduce pain and prevent infection by using ice packs, enjoying soft foods, and keeping your mouth clean with salt water. Don’t hesitate to call your oral surgeon if you notice any unusual symptoms after your surgery. They will help get you on the road to recovery and back to a healthy and confident smile.

Why does my jaw still hurt a week after wisdom teeth removal?

Jaw stiffness and soreness is common after oral surgery and may result in limited mouth opening (trismus). This is as a result of the surgery involving the jaw muscles at or near the surgical site. This condition may last for a few days to a week. On rare occasions, jaw stiffness may take longer to resolve.

Is it normal to have jaw pain 5 days after wisdom teeth removal?

Dry socket This can happen 3 to 5 days after surgery. The empty socket causes an ache or throbbing pain in your gum or jaw, which can be intense like a toothache. There may also be an unpleasant smell or taste from the empty tooth socket.

Why does my jaw still hurt 3 weeks after wisdom teeth removal?

If you have recently had a tooth removed, jaw pain may be caused by a condition called “dry socket.” When a tooth is removed, a blood clot forms to protect the newly-exposed bone. Dry socket occurs when that blood clot dissolves or gets dislodged, exposing the bone and nerve.

Is it normal to have pain 6 days after wisdom teeth removal?

“We typically see dry socket after the removal of lower impacted third molars, or wisdom teeth,” Ellis said. “The pain can last anywhere from a few days to a week.”