face swelling and pain after tooth extraction

[queen 1954]

hi, i had a back tooth out last wed it was a straight forward extraction alhough i had an abcess under it last month i took anbiotics to clear it first.after having 5 injections the tooth came out no problem but i have a very swollen face now which seems to be getting worse each day.i went back on fri to have it checked( no dry socket )but he dressed it anyway and gave me more antibiotics to prevent infection and said swelling was normal.i have had several teeth out before without any problems apart from impacted wisdoms which you can expect to have swelling from.am in agony still and wonder if anyone else has experienced this and if so how long did it take to go down.any help would be appreciated.

[EngTeach]

That sounds normal. I have had teeth pulled and experienced the same kind of "worse before it gets better" type of swelling. Keep taking ibuprofen or whatever the dentist said is oK. If it's not better in a day or two I would go back. Good luck.

[DONNAKEBABUK]

Ring your local doctors surgery, there will be a message on there for your local primary care trust out of hours doctor and dental surgery. Ring them immediately for advice.

Do you have any codeine at all, are you okay with codiene?

Paracetamol wont touch the edges hun, I feel your pain.

meantime, get a nice fairly warm hot water bottle, wrap a clean tea towel around it and place it on your cheek.

Take Care.
Katie.

[queen 1954]

thank you both for your speedy replies have been taking ponstan which i have for other problems apart from that can only take paracetomol as i suffer with asthma so i have to be careful.think i will try ringing as you suggested as everyone ive seen have been shocked by the amount of swelling i have and to be honest the dentist didnt even mention painkillers thanks again

[MrXLA]

DONNAKEBABUK I understand that you are are being kind in offering advice however:
- paracetamol and ibuprofen are the most effective analgesics (however you have asthma as you have said) (if they were as effective the british chemotherapeutic society would advocate there use in dental pain and in most circumstances they dont)
- warmth, hot water bottles etc are unlikley to be of any help in an inflammtory reaction (at least there is no evidence for it) but different things work for different people
- swelling after extraction is normal and awful however queen 1954 has been luck in the past
- queen 1954 you may have swelling around the muscles of the jaw joint and cheek and these will typically resolve with time and analgesics
- a urgent appointment at a dentist would be fruitless unless the symptoms get worse or go on for a protracted period of time
- hope you get better soon
- unfortunately it can take up too 2 weeks sometimes longer to get better
- i would arrange aan appointment at an emergency dentist if you have any probs with your airway or swelling increases (however this is unlikley in your case)
- take care

[rabbitygirl]

Just a word of warning for anyone driving after having an extraction. I swelled alarmingly once after having a top double taken out. It was a difficult removal, resulting in the dental nurse present starting to cry!

I paid the bill and made for the car very quickly to get myself home as I could feel the swelling beginning to close my eye.

By the time I got home, 2 miles, my eye was almost completely closed. My husband took one look at me and dropped the tea he had made himself, and exclaimed an expletive.

I went straight to bed with ice pack and ibuprofen. The swelling did go done fairly quickly tho and I was back at work the following night.