In the article, we will consider what to do if the mouth does not open after the removal of a wisdom tooth.
First you need to figure out what a wisdom tooth is. Why does it hurt so much?
It is different from other human teeth. The wisdom tooth is the eighth in a row, officially it is called the third molar or figure eight. The wisdom tooth got its common name precisely because it appears in people in their mature years.
Carrying out the extraction of eights is in itself a long and complicated procedure. This is due to the restriction of access for the technique. When the tooth is located at an angle or in general in the absence of eruption, the situation with its removalcomplicated many times.
Most patients cannot move their jaw after tooth extraction. Factors that can worsen a person's condition in the period after surgery, doctors call such diseases as caries, periodontal disease, high blood pressure, smoking and drinking alcohol too often.
It is necessary to consider the reasons why the mouth does not open after the removal of a wisdom tooth, as well as all methods of treatment in such a situation.
Specific wisdom teeth extraction
The removal of the figure eight is carried out in several stages and is determined by the type of placement in the bone. If the tooth is normally located in the bone, the specialist first performs anesthesia: conduction and, if necessary, infiltration. After that, detachment of the dental circular ligament is performed. This structure, presented in the form of connective tissue, unites the tooth with the gum, located in the bone. Then forceps are applied, rocking movements of small amplitude are made. Having made an imbalance, slowly carry out withdrawal (traction). After that, the hole is checked with a curettage spoon, forming a clot for recovery, and the bone tissue of the jaw alveolar process is compressed in the vestibulo-oral direction in order to prevent the occurrence of bone protrusions (exostoses). If the wisdom tooth is located in the position of retention and semi-retention, then the tactics of medical intervention are carried out differently.
The semi-retinated figure eight is determined visually in the oral cavity according to the followingindicators:
- placement at an angle to adjacent tooth;
- partial manifestation of bumps 1_3;
- impenetrable part and tubercles (partly) may be covered with mucosal hood;
- if prolonged pressure was exerted on the adjacent tooth, the latter is changed in the form of the appearance of complicated forms of caries on its surface;
- X-ray showing angulation in bone, partial on surface.
An impacted wisdom tooth in most cases is determined during a panoramic study, during which the direction of location in the bone, the alleged defects of dental tissues are studied.
The extraction of the figure eight at the stage of semi-retention and retention is performed in this order:
- Pain the area.
- Incision from the vestibular side of the wisdom tooth with a scalpel with the creation of a trapezoid zone facing down, detachment of the mucosal flap.
- By means of a burr, a hole is drilled in the cortical plate of the bone, which corresponds to the position of the figure eight: during the procedure, they are guided both by the visual information of the oral cavity and by the result of the radiographic examination. The drilled section is removed.
- The roots of the figure-eight are cut with a cutter, if necessary, supplementing the crowns and preparation. Layer-by-layer removal of parts of the wisdom tooth is performed.
- Curettage, antiseptic treatment, application of material withthe purpose of preventing the inflammatory process.
- The mucus patch is placed back, stitches are fixed on the wound.
When any type of procedure is completed, the specialist gives a series of recommendations for home care.
Many people have trouble opening their mouth after wisdom tooth extraction.
The consequences of removing the figure eight
Wisdom tooth extraction is thus a complex procedure in dentistry. And in the period after the operation, a variety of side effects may appear, for example, bleeding, swelling, and an increase in temperature. In addition, after the removal of a wisdom tooth, the mouth does not open, and the jaw hurts.
Such complications may occur despite the fact that the procedure was performed as professionally and accurately as possible, and the patient followed all the recommendations of the dentist.
Jaw problems
Situations where a patient has difficulty opening his mouth after removal of the figure eight are quite common. Such an unpleasant effect appears due to minimal structural damage to soft tissues. The blood circulating in these tissues is released, filling the cavities, due to which edema develops. Just such a puffiness does not allow the jaw to open. In addition, jaw closure may be associated with the reaction of the human body to conduction anesthesia.
Why does it hurt to open my mouth after a tooth extraction?
Signs of this pathology and the reasons for their appearance
Except for the difficulties inopening the mouth, a patient who has recently had a wisdom tooth removed may feel pain. Experts call this phenomenon trismus, when there is an uncontrolled spasm of pain in the masticatory muscles after stretching them. Unpleasant sensations may occur due to the influence of the following reasons:
- disturbances in the functioning of the temporomandibular joint;
- injury to the temporomandibular joint due to a long stay of the patient with an open mouth.
Many people wonder if it always hurts to open the mouth after wisdom tooth extraction, and is it normal.
When is trismus common and when is it worth worrying about?
The condition in which it is not possible to open the jaws after tooth extraction is a normal reaction of the body in the period after the operation. Puffiness in most cases disappears after three to four days, pain decreases already on the second day after the procedure. In case of acute pain against the background of high body temperature, persistent swelling and putrid odor coming from the mouth, you need to seek qualified medical help.
What should I do if it hurts to open my mouth after a tooth extraction?
Specific treatment of this unpleasant pathology
The treatment procedure in the period after the operation is determined by the individual characteristics of the person and lasts from three to twelve days. At this time, in addition to strictly following the recommendations of the dentist, the patient needs to do gymnastic exercises for the jaw, trying todevelop it.
Overcoming the pain, you need to open your mouth, simulating chewing movements. If the patient has severe swelling, you need to apply herbal compresses. In addition, it should be noted that in the practice of dentists there are often cases when the negative consequences of removing a wisdom tooth do not occur, and a person with pain opens his mouth only because of anesthesia.
Secondary hole cleaning
If you experience pain when opening your mouth after a tooth extraction, you may need to re-clean the hole.
Sometimes there are times when a wisdom tooth has its roots bent, or a cyst has formed due to caries in a neglected state. In such a situation, it is impossible to remove the entire root at once, and for the complete recovery of the patient, the dentist needs to do one more procedure. Quite often, conduction anesthesia is prescribed in this case. Only when cleaning the hole again does a person manage to avoid discomfort and pain.
Use of antibacterial drugs in this pathology
To achieve the greatest effect in the fight against the fact that it is difficult to open the mouth after tooth extraction, medication is prescribed, depending on the individual characteristics of the patient's body and the nature of the disease:
- if the cause of the muscle spasm was a neurotic factor, the patient is prescribed sedatives;
- in case of trismus due to the development of inflammatory operations in the oral cavity, antibiotics are prescribed to eliminate the infectious focus.
In most cases, the dentist prescribes such anti-inflammatory drugs: "Lincomycin", "Dalacin", "Tsiprolet", "Amoxicillin", "Ciprofloxacin". As analogues, antimicrobial drugs are used - "Sulfatsil", "Streptocid".
Physiotherapy - how effective are they?
To achieve a complex therapeutic effect, physiotherapy procedures are used that help reduce the intensity of the inflammation process and the feeling of pain, and also have an antibacterial effect. The main physiotherapy procedures are as follows:
- ultraviolet irradiation;
- fluctuorization;
- UHF therapy;
- darsonvalization;
- magnetotherapy;
- phototherapy;
- laser therapy;
- drug electrophoresis;
- centimeter wave therapy.
Physiotherapy cannot become the main method of treatment, because they are not highly effective. Such therapy is used only in combination, along with other medical manipulations.
Other medical procedures
In order to achieve a speedy recovery, they may use unusual therapeutic methods, such as heat therapy or massage. Massage movements with a soft toothbrush can improve blood circulation, which was disturbed during the intervention when removing the figure eight. Heat therapy accelerates healing, characterized by the use of mud, ozocerite and paraffin applications.
What do dentists advise those people who cannotopen mouth after tooth extraction?
Recommendations for the prevention of this pathology: advice from dentists
In the first few days after the operation, you should refrain from taking solid foods and various loads on the jaw. It is also possible that you will need a sparing diet consisting of kissels, liquid cereals and grated soups.
Depending on the characteristics of the recovery, a gradual transition to the usual diet is carried out. Most often, on the 7th-10th day, the patient can normally open his mouth and eat ordinary meals.
Dentists in some cases recommend rinsing the mouth with warm solutions of Chlorhexidine, Furacilin, potassium permanganate. Do not forget that the mouth is rinsed not earlier than a day after the operation to remove the wisdom tooth, otherwise the healing of the hole may be delayed, and the pain will intensify.
We looked at what to do when the mouth does not open after the removal of a wisdom tooth.
