How to know if wisdom tooth hole is infected

As with any type of surgery, wisdom tooth removal carries some risks. However, these risks are usually small.

Table of Contents Show

Nerve injury
General anaesthetic
Medications
Surgery facts
How do you know if your wisdom tooth extraction site is infected?
What does a wisdom tooth hole infection feel like?
How do I know if my wisdom teeth holes are healing properly?

Risks can include:

dry socket – where a blood clot fails to develop in the tooth socket, or if the blood clot becomes dislodged
nerve injury – this can cause temporary or permanent problems, such as tingling or numbness
infection – signs include a high temperature, yellow or white discharge from the extraction site, and persistent pain and swelling
bleeding

See your dentist if you have signs of infection after having your wisdom teeth removed, or if you're bleeding heavily from the extraction site.

Dry socket

Dry socket (alveolar osteitis) is one of the most common complications of wisdom tooth removal. It's where a blood clot fails to develop in the tooth socket, or if the blood clot becomes dislodged or disappears. This can happen 3 to 5 days after surgery.

The empty socket causes an ache or throbbing pain in your gum or jaw, which can be intense like a toothache. There may also be an unpleasant smell or taste from the empty tooth socket. If you look into the socket, you might be able to see exposed bone rather than a blood clot.

You're more at risk of developing dry socket if:

you don't follow your dentist's instructions after the extraction
you smoke
you've had the condition before
you're over 25 years old
the extraction was difficult or complicated

See your dentist or surgeon if you think you have dry socket. They can flush any debris out of the socket or cover it with a medicated dressing, which may be removed and replaced frequently until it heals.

Nerve injury

Although far less common than dry socket, injury to sections of a nerve called the trigeminal nerve is another possible complication of wisdom tooth removal. It can cause pain, a tingling sensation and numbness in your tongue, lower lip, chin, teeth and gums.

The damage is usually temporary, lasting for a few weeks or months. However, it can be permanent if the nerve has been severely damaged.

A nerve injury can interfere with your daily activities, making things such as eating and drinking difficult. However, a nerve injury will only cause sensation problems – it won't cause any weakness to your lip or tongue.

Your dentist or surgeon will try to minimise the possibility of nerve damage when removing your wisdom tooth, and they should tell you about the risk of complications before the procedure.

General anaesthetic

General anaesthetic is occasionally needed for the removal of wisdom teeth.

It carries some additional risks, but complications are very rare, occurring in less than 1 in every 10,000 cases.

Page last reviewed: 17 May 2021
Next review due: 17 May 2024

Your wisdom teeth are molars. They’re the large teeth at the back of your mouth, sometimes called the third molars. They’re the last teeth to grow in. Most people get wisdom teeth between the ages of 17 and 25.

Like other teeth, a wisdom tooth can:

decay
get a cavity
become impacted
get stuck below or in the gumline

If you have a wisdom tooth infection, you’ll need treatment from a dentist. But not all pain is the result of a tooth infection. Below we discuss treatments for wisdom teeth infection and pain.

Wisdom teeth may get infected because they’re harder to clean. Food and bacteria can get trapped between the tooth and the gums. The space between your wisdom teeth and the back of your mouth can be easy to miss when you’re brushing and flossing.

An impacted wisdom tooth may not grow through your gums correctly. It may partially emerge, grow in at an angle, or develop completely sideways.

A partially impacted wisdom tooth has a higher risk of infection. This is because its shape and angle make decay more likely to happen. A tooth infection or cavity happens when an overgrowth of bacteria makes holes in the outer, hard enamel layer.

Several kinds of bacteria can cause an infection in and around a wisdom tooth. In rare cases, the infection can spread to other areas of the mouth and head. Types of bacteria that can lead to a tooth infection include:

Streptococcus
Actinomyces
Peptostreptococcus
Prevotella
Fusobacterium
Aggregatibacter
Eikenella corrodens

Treatment for a wisdom tooth infection may involve:

medication to treat the tooth
dental work to repair it
surgery for tooth removal

Your dentist will examine your teeth and take an X-ray of the area. This will help determine what kind of treatment is best for your tooth.

Medications

You’ll need to take antibiotics to clear up an infection in a wisdom tooth. You may need to take this at least a week before having the affected tooth repaired or removed. Antibiotics help to heal an infected tooth and prevent bacteria from spreading.

Your dentist or doctor may prescribe antibiotics such as:

penicillin
amoxicillin
metronidazole
clindamycin
erythromycin

Your dentist may also recommend pain medication before and after wisdom tooth infection, including:

ibuprofen
lornoxicam
acetaminophen
aspirin

Repair

Once the infection is cleared up, you’ll need to see your dentist again to repair or remove the tooth. Fixing a cavity in a wisdom tooth is similar to patching up other teeth. You may need a filling or crown.

Your dentist may also file down the top or sides of the tooth. This removes rough or bumpy edges that can trap food and bacteria. It also helps to make the tooth slightly smaller if there’s crowding.

Removal

If your wisdom tooth is damaged, your dentist may completely or partly remove it. You may need dental surgery for an impacted wisdom tooth infection. Other impacted wisdom teeth may also be removed. This helps to prevent future infections.

Your dentist may remove gum tissue from the top of an impacted wisdom tooth to help it grow through. Another dental procedure removes only the top part of a wisdom tooth. This is called a coronectomy. This helps to protect the tooth roots, nerves, and the jawbone around the tooth.

Surgery facts

Pulling a wisdom tooth can be complicated. You’ll need local anesthesia by an injection in the area, or general anesthesia. The procedure may take 20 minutes or longer. Your dentist may need to section the tooth and remove it in pieces. This helps to avoid injury to the nerves and jawbone.

Possible side effects and risks after wisdom tooth removal surgery include:

bleeding
infection
numbness in your tongue, lower lip, or chin
jawbone weakness

An infection in the mouth can happen two weeks or even up to two months after getting a wisdom tooth removed. Let your dentist know about any symptoms. You may need another dose of antibiotics to treat it.

Home remedies can’t treat a wisdom tooth infection. However, some simple treatments may give you temporary relief from the pain and discomfort. Try these remedies if you have to wait to see your dentist.

Salt water rinse. Mix salt in warm or cold drinking water. Swish it around your mouth a few times and spit out. The salt helps to temporarily slow down some of the bacteria.
Hydrogen peroxide. Dilute hydrogen peroxide in equal parts drinking water. Use this solution as a mouthwash. Hydrogen peroxide is antibacterial and will help remove some of the surface bacteria around the infection.
Cold compress. Place an ice pack or a cold cloth compress on the outside of your cheek, over the infected area. The cold helps to soothe swelling and inflammation.
Clove oil. Cloves contain natural antibacterial oils. Use a cotton swab to dab clove oil directly onto your wisdom tooth. Repeat a few times to help ease swelling and pain.
Over-the-counter pain medication. Pain medication and numbing gels can help you cope with the pain and get a good night’s sleep before your dentist appointment. Pain medications and benzocaine numbing gels can help relieve minor tooth pain.

Your wisdom teeth can cause pain even if they’re not infected. You may also have pain after your wisdom tooth is removed. Other causes of a toothache are:

Gum pain. The gums around or over a wisdom tooth can become infected. This is called pericoronitis. The infection causes painful, red and swollen gums.
New or impacted tooth. A newly growing wisdom tooth can cause pain when it erupts through the gums. An impacted wisdom tooth can also cause pain, swelling, and inflammation in the gums.
Crowding. If there isn’t enough room for the wisdom tooth to grow, it may be impacted and push against a neighboring tooth. This can cause other teeth to move slightly leading to pain, tenderness, and swelling. The pressure may also cause root damage and fractures in the teeth.
Cysts. You may have a cyst around or over a wisdom tooth. A cyst is a fluid-filled sack that forms over a completely or partly impacted wisdom tooth. It might feel like a hard bump or swelling in the gum. The pressure against your tooth or jawbone can feel painful. A cyst can lead to an infection and other complications.
Dry socket. Dry socket is a common dental condition that happens when the empty tooth socket doesn’t heal properly. Normally a blood clot forms in the tooth socket. This protects the bone and nerve endings in the jaw. If this doesn’t happen, the exposed nerves may cause pain that begins one to three days after the tooth is pulled out.
Socket infection. You can get an infection after a wisdom tooth has been removed. This is more likely if you have a dry or empty socket and the area fills with food debris and bacteria. This leads to infection, pain, and swelling.
Poor healing. Slowed healing can cause pain to continue even after you have an infected wisdom tooth pulled. Smoking and poor nutrition can delay healing and lead to a dry socket or gum infection. Medications that lower immunity, such as chemotherapy treatments, can also delay healing. Sometimes the empty socket may not heal at all. This can lead to an infection in the gums or jawbone.

Call your dentist and make an appointment if you have any pain or discomfort in or around a wisdom tooth. This area can be difficult to see. You’ll likely need a dental exam and an X-ray scan to find out what’s causing the pain.

Don’t ignore any teeth, gum, or jaw symptoms such as:

pain or sensitivity
tender or swollen gums
red or bleeding gums
white fluid or oozing around teeth
bad breath
bad taste in your mouth
jaw pain
jaw swelling
stiff jaw
difficulty breathing, opening your mouth, or speaking

You may also have a fever, chills, nausea, or headache pain because of a wisdom tooth infection.

You can’t prevent an impacted wisdom tooth. See your dentist for regular checkups to help prevent wisdom tooth complications.

Good dental hygiene, such as brushing and flossing several times a day, can help keep your wisdom teeth from getting infected.

How do you know if your wisdom tooth extraction site is infected?

infection – signs include a high temperature, yellow or white discharge from the extraction site, and persistent pain and swelling. bleeding.

What does a wisdom tooth hole infection feel like?

In the healthy patient who had an extraction, infection is rare. With wisdom teeth, sometimes a bit of food debris gets stuck under the gums and develops into a small abscess. The patient experiences tenderness over the area, a bad taste, persistent swelling, and malaise.

How do I know if my wisdom teeth holes are healing properly?

After about 3 days, the empty tooth socket will have mostly healed. There should be no more bleeding present, and swelling should be minimal at this point. You may still experience some tenderness or soreness, but you should no longer feel pain or discomfort.