Complications with Tooth Extraction

After a tooth extraction if you don’t follow all of the precautions and warnings from your dentist you may get some complications. Sometimes these complications can occur regardless of what you do. Here is a list of a few that may occur.

Bleeding After Tooth Extraction:

If one follows the instructions of the dentist after Tooth extraction to take rest and to keep the gauze piece for 1 to 2 hours after the procedure then the problem of bleeding is not there. Any patient taking anticoagulants like Heparin or Coumadin, or patients who have bleeding disorders, like hemophilia, should give this medical history to the dentist so that they may be aware to help prevent further complications. Likewise, patients who are taking aspirin or non-steroidal analgesics tend to have increased bleeding time as well.

Infection after Tooth Extraction:

Infection is the most common complication after tooth extraction. Our mouth is full of bacteria. Dentists decide whether to give antibiotics after the tooth extraction or not. Normally, for simple tooth extractions, antibiotics are not required, but if a patient has pain and swelling, even or pus, then it is better to go for preventive antibiotics. Bleeding that continues after 48 hours and acute pain and swelling are very common signs of infection after the tooth extraction and the patient should visit the dentist in such circumstances to avoid further complications.

Dry Socket:

It is often the most dreaded and painful condition that can occur. With dry socket a patient may be fine for a day or two after the procedure, and then he has acute pain and becomes very restless. The patient will often complain of a bad taste in their mouth. It is more common after the dental extraction of lower teeth than the upper teeth, and it can happen even after the simplest tooth extraction.

Jaw Fracture during Tooth Extraction:

This is very rare, but when it does happen it’s most commonly in the lower jaw. The dentist who is doing the tooth extractions knows how much pressure needs to be applied to pull out the tooth, but sometimes dentists will warn the patient that the bone structure around the tooth has become fragile and chances of fracture are there after evidence is seen in a dental x-ray. In such cases a patient and the dentist are prepared beforehand to manage the situation.

Sinus Perforation during Tooth Extraction:

The back teeth are in close proximity with the sinus cavities. Sometimes you may notice in a dental x-ray it looks as if the roots of the back teeth are virtually in the sinus. This usually doesn’t occur because there is always a thin bone separating the sinus from the roots of the teeth. But sometimes during tooth extraction the piece of the bone comes along with the sinus. This can happen when the tooth is close to the bone because of infection. In that case perforation occurs. If perforation occurs you must avoiding using your sucking reflex because the air will rush from the nose to the sinus and through perforation to the mouth. If the perforation does occur then the patient should follow certain instructions:

Do not suck on anything until the tooth socket heals.
Do not do anything that will dislodge the clot. If the clot is not disturbed then no complication arises.
Do not smoke at least for a week after tooth extraction because the chemicals in the smoke either dissolve the clot or dislodge it.
Do not blow on things.
Avoid aerated drinks, instead you can take fruit juices.
Don’t sneeze; it will surely dislodge the clot.
If the perforation is big and it does not heal by itself then another surgical procedure is carried out in which tissue graft is used to close the perforation.

Osteonecrosis:

It is a rare dental condition which mostly occurs after dental extraction, implant surgery or other invasive dental procedures. There is no sign of healing even after 8 weeks of dental treatment in case of osteonecrosis of jaw. The gums are worn away and the underlying bone is visible in this condition. It is mostly seen in cancer patients.