BRYANNA: Question about wisdom teeth
 

I had my wisdom teeth removed about last monday (Jan 27) so it has been about 10 days since the surgery. I have several concerns. The swelling on my jaw has been visibly reduced, however, in its stead came a soreness, which I guess is pretty normal. My first concern is about paresthesia. The region from my bottom lip to my chin is still numb, moreso on the right side than the left side. The left side is slightly better as I can feel temperature differences, however, my right side still feels heavy and like a fat lip. Also my teeth feel numb as well, making it difficult to eat. It hasn't really gotten much better since the swelling was reduced a few days ago and I don't feel much tingling in the area as Ive heard this is signs of nerves healing.
My second concern is about my bite. The bite on my right side feels quite a bit off and is even visibly so as I can see the misalignment when I look in the mirror (there is a gap when I close my teeth when there shouldn't be).
Finally (and this is the concern that made me decide to post here), I have converted to solid foods since monday but I have found it is more difficult than before to eat because of the soreness. Anyways, I decided to jump the gun a little bit and eat a chewy hard piece of bread just now. As I was attempting to bite off a piece (despite the pain), I heard and felt a loud snap around the left side of my jaw joint. Now the area is sore and I cannot eat anything solid at the moment. I can open my mouth fine but it definitely hurts. WAs this probably just a ligament or do you think I should be more concerned. I have seen how you have helped others on this thread so thank you in advanced for ANY advice as I am certainly feeling dreadful right now.

Hi beamupscotty,

It is best to avoid solid foods, especially those that require a lot of chewing for at least 2-3 weeks after the extraction of wisdom teeth. Longer if your bite feels misaligned. The reason being is because sometimes during the surgery the jaw is manipulated in a way to gain access to the teeth and this can cause trauma to the masseter muscle and TMJ joint. In most cases the trauma is temporary providing that the patient does not aggravate the joint any further by forcing the jaw to chew on things like bread.

Anytime the jaw feels stiff or the bite is misaligned after oral surgery, it is imperative to not force the jaw to chew or open widely. The TMJ is a ball and socket joint, similar to a hip or shoulder joint. The pop you heard may have been the ball portion of the TMJ called the condyle popping out of the socket. This may or may not go back into place on it's own. Do not keep opening your mouth wide as that is only going to aggravate it more. Do not keep eat foods that require a lot of chewing as this will cause further trauma to the joint.

I urge you to see the oral surgeon tomorrow for an evaluation in case the TMJ needs to be manipulated back into place. Do not try to manipulate it on your own.

Bryanna

thank you
 

Hey Bryanna Thanks for the reply! What is your opinion on the paresthesia?

Hi beamupscotty,

It is not unusual to have some numbness in the lip and chin after the removal of lower wisdom teeth. It is usually temporary but can take weeks to months to feel completely normal again.

When you see the oral surgeon to check out your TMJ, show him where it is still numb.

Bryanna