Headache After Wisdom Teeth Removal, Side Effects You Need To Know

Headache after wisdom teeth removal: As expected with every surgery, you are not alone if you have a headache after extracting your third Molar.

Headache is not the only symptom you’d expect after wisdom teeth removal, and we will list some other possible side effects of wisdom teeth extraction, you may consider knowing the Benefits Of Keeping Wisdom Teeth.

The third molar, also known as wisdom teeth, is the final set of molars humans develop in their late teens or early twenties. Some people don’t grow wisdom teeth at all. While some may develop just one, others can have up to the four sets of the molars.

Side Effects Of Wisdom Tooth Extraction 

• Headache And Pains
• Dry Socket (Alveolar Osteitis)
• Excessive Bleeding
• Swelling
• Lip Numbness

Headache And Pains: Mouth and jaw muscles tighten up during a tooth extraction. This affects the face as well as head muscles, causing headaches. Thus, you experience pain or headache after tooth extraction because of the strain in your facial muscles. The pressure starts from the gums and goes up to your head.

How to treat headache after tooth extraction

It is recommended that you take aspirin as it is a tried and true remedy for headaches of all types, including those caused by wisdom teeth. However, if your surgical site is still fresh, Aspirin maybe induce bleeding.

Your alternative should be to take ibuprofen and acetaminophen (paracetamol); you should only take as recommended and don’t take more than the required dosage.

Research shows that a 400 mg dose of ibuprofen relieves pain better than a 1,000 mg dose of acetaminophen. A combination of 1,000 mg acetaminophen and 400 mg ibuprofen relieves pain better than an equal dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen on their own, and the effect lasts longer too. 

A 2015 study has proven that aspirin is effective at dulling dental pain. However, you should know that Aspiring could increase the risk of bleeding if the surgery is still fresh.

Adults should only take this combination every eight hours at the most to avoid going over the maximum dose for both drugs. In adults, the maximum dose of ibuprofen is 800 to 1,200 mg in 24 hours. The maximum dose of acetaminophen is 4,000 mg in 24 hours.

How long does a headache last after tooth extraction

With a successful wisdom teeth extraction, the headache should subside within 1 to 3 days with the entire painkiller your Dentist might have given you for your recovery after surgery or extraction.

Dry Socket (Alveolar Osteitis)

Dry socket (Alveolar Osteitis) sometimes happens after the wisdom teeth extraction. A dry socket occurs when the blood clot fails to develop, or the blood clot dislodges before the wound heals. 

How To fix Dry Socket 

You can manage it by applying the following: Socket Irrigation with saline, Zinc oxide eugenol pack given by your Dentist. Pain killer (NSAIDs) has also been prescribed; avoid aspirin.

You can also visit a Dentist for further diagnosis if there is something amidst. Don’t take antibiotics as they don’t help in a dry socket.

Other care your dentist may apply includes cleaning the dry socket to remove any food particles that might lodge there (This may alleviate any pain and help prevent infection) and using warm saltwater to rise.

How long does a dry socket last?

If you follow your Dentist’s instructions well, you can avoid the dry socket problem. A dry socket usually occurs within 3-5 days of extraction and, more commonly, in the lower jaw. It can last for up to 7 days. 

Excessive Bleeding After Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Bleeding after a tooth extraction is a common dental issue. When the saliva is mixed with the blood, it looks like the blood. So, you need to identify and address excessive and abnormal bleeding.

How to stop bleeding after wisdom tooth extraction 

To prevent the normal bleeding, you need to dampen a piece of gauze with water and roll it up or fold it into a square. Then place the gauze on the top of the empty tooth socket and bite down on them to apply the pressure for about 30 minutes to an hour. After that, you will find that the bleeding should be slowed or stopped after 60 minutes of pressure.

However, if the area starts to bleed excessively for more than 24 hours, it may mean your body has a problem forming a blood clot. If that happens, contact your Dentist. They will determine if you have a problem with the extraction site.

Also, using a tea bag, dip a black tea bag in cold water, roll it in a gauze or paper towel, and applying over an extraction socket can facilitate clot formation due to the tannin in tea.

Swelling

Your face may swell after your wisdom teeth are removed. The period of the swelling varies from person to person and the type of complication your extraction went through.

If yours is a routine extraction of an intact tooth growing in a normal position, you may have minimal swelling. An experienced oral surgeon can sometimes remove the tooth without causing too much damage to the nearby gum and facial tissues. 

More complex oral surgery procedures (like wisdom tooth extraction) can cause more severe inflammation that extends further from the extraction site. 

Removal of teeth that are decayed, broken, or impacted often requires additional oral surgery procedures, such as tissue flapping and bone trimming, which can lead to extensive swelling.

How To get rid of swelling after wisdom teeth removal

Swelling should subside in 5 to 10 days after your surgery. It is recommended that you apply an ice pack to the facial areas near the extraction immediately after your tooth extraction.

Continue using the ice in 15-minute intervals for the first 36 hours. Ice may no longer be of assistance after the 36 hours post wisdom teeth extraction.

You should start applying a warm damp cloth to the affected side of your face to help moisten the heat and decrease swelling.

Numbness

After a few days or weeks, the nerve damage caused by wisdom teeth removal should fade away. It does not require any drugs or treatment to subside if it’s minor damage.

Injury to sections of a nerve called the trigeminal nerve is another possible complication of wisdom tooth removal. A tingling sensation and numbness in your tongue, lower lip, chin, teeth, and gums may cause pain and inconveniences.

The numbness should be temporary between a few weeks to a month; however, it can be permanent if the nerves have been severely damaged.

How to get rid of numbness after wisdom teeth removal

In a severe case where the numbness lingers for months, it is a result of the Dentist inserting the needle to enable the anesthetic solution to be “deposited” at the precise location where the nerve to the lower jaw enters the “foramen” on the inside (the tongue side) of your lower jaw (the mandible).

Unfortunately, when trying to anesthetize the area, the needle inserted through the tissues made contact with the separate LINGUAL nerve that supplies 1/2 of the sensation of the tongue. 

This is unavoidable, and it happens because your Dentist cannot see where that nerve is.

The Lingual nerve does not like being “touched” or even “slightly impaled or speared” as the needle moves toward the foramen on the bone. In almost all cases of this type of problem, the nerve will repair itself.

You should gradually notice a Lessing of the tingling as function is restored. Expect the tingling to last several weeks or months before 100% of normal function is restored. Your Dentist may proscribe anti-inflammatory medication to help you manage until it heals itself.

How long can a broken tooth go untreated? Find out

Conclusion

This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.