Hi Lolla,

The continued swelling prior to this debridement could have occurred from necrotic tissue that had not been removed during the extraction. Having this second surgery would of course cause additional swelling at this point.

If it were a hematoma, it would have seen that upon clinical examination and if not then when he opened up the site.

Starting 24 hrs after this surgery she should rinse with warm salt water several times a day for at least 2 weeks. No mouthwash what so ever as it will only irritate the surgical wound and slow down the healing. Soft food nutritional diet for 2 weeks or until the site closes over. Warm moist compresses to that area of her face will bring blood flow into the area and that can reduce the swelling. They should be done in the am and just before bed time. Also sleeping with the head elevated will also help keep the swelling from migrating further into the face and cheek area.

It sounds like she had residual tissue that needed to be removed.... and if that is the case, then it should heal now that that has been removed. Some people stay swollen for several weeks after wisdom teeth removal and not necessarily in all four quadrants.

Hope this info helps..
Bryanna









QUOTE=Lolla C;1002276]Just talked to dentist again and he was clear that there were no bone fragments and no infection. he did say there was some dead tissue and that he really cleaned out the area nicely. he clearly does not know why she had the swelling and hopes that it was due to a blood clot which he 'cleaned out' and hopes that it will go away. Any suggestions on what to do if its still there in a week?[/QUOTE]