Still in pain two weeks after wisdom teeth removal

It has been two weeks, the leaflet said a week, and your jaw still aches when you open it or chew on that side.

Quite a lot of that is ordinary and under-described in the paperwork. A smaller set of signs means something has gone wrong, and the difference is clear enough to check yourself against.

Jaw stiffness lasts longer than the paperwork suggests

The muscle that closes your jaw gets stretched and held open for the length of the procedure, and it responds like any muscle treated that way. Tightness on opening, soreness in the cheek, and a jaw that will not open as wide as before are all mechanical rather than infectious.

That stiffness commonly runs two to four weeks and improves steadily rather than suddenly. Gentle opening exercises and warmth on the outside of the cheek both help it along.

Lower wisdom teeth, surgical removals and anything described as impacted all extend this considerably. A straightforward upper extraction heals in days; a sectioned lower one is a different operation.

Me too! I really thought that is just how bad wisdom tooth removal surgery was. Several weeks post op and it finally healed!! (My oral surgeon was packing it with stuff that delayed healing until they changed it). I have stiffness and pain in my cheek when opening that side, but it is far better than what it was. Barely any pain other than the discomfort from cheek tightness

— r/wisdomteeth

Food in the socket is the commonest cause of late soreness

A lower socket takes weeks to close over, and until it does, food gets in. The result is a dull localised ache that comes and goes with meals, plus a taste that arrives with it.

Rinsing gently with warm salt water after eating clears most of it. A curved irrigation syringe is the thing oral surgeons hand out for this, and asking for one is reasonable at any point in the recovery.

Vigorous rinsing early on is the one thing to avoid, because it disturbs the clot. By two weeks that risk has passed and gentle irrigation is helpful.

I’m 10 days post op and I still some pain on my left side. No dry socket, everything is healing nicely. I just take 200mg once a day of ibuprofen and that seems to help. Wisdom teeth removal is a very traumatic procedure. There are so many nerves and bones in your mouth that were touched or removed. I’m just trying to tell myself that it will heal one day.

— r/wisdomteeth

The small sharp thing working its way out is usually bone

A tiny hard fragment surfacing through the gum two to four weeks after an extraction is almost always a sequestrum, a chip of bone the body is pushing out. It feels sharp against the tongue and seems alarming.

The process is normal and finishes on its own, though a dentist can lift the fragment out in seconds if it is catching. Nothing about it means the healing has failed.

What it is not is a piece of tooth left behind, which is the usual fear. A dentist can tell the difference by looking.

Dry socket has a timeline, and two weeks is outside it

Dry socket starts three to five days after the extraction, not at two weeks. The pain is severe, throbbing, radiates toward the ear and temple, and ordinary painkillers barely touch it.

If that describes the last fortnight and nothing has improved, it is worth being seen regardless of the usual timeline. Pain that has never let up at all is a different story from pain that is slowly fading.

Pain that had settled and then returned is the pattern that matters most, and it points toward infection rather than dry socket.

• pain that is getting worse rather than better
• swelling that went down and came back
• fever, chills, or feeling unwell
• difficulty swallowing or opening the mouth at all
• pus, or a taste that keeps returning from the socket

Brother the worst part about wisdom teeth removal is the recovery. It’s been 2 weeks and I still have aches and insomnia. The surgery itself is light work besides the needle injection

— r/wisdomteeth

What needs a call the same day

Fever alongside the socket, swelling spreading across the face or down the neck, difficulty swallowing, or a mouth that will not open are all reasons to phone the surgery today rather than wait for the review appointment.

A late infection is treatable and straightforward when caught, and considerably less so after another fortnight. Surgeries expect these calls and would rather have them.

Numbness or tingling in the lip, chin or tongue that has persisted since the procedure is also worth reporting now. It usually resolves, and it is tracked rather than ignored.

Recovery varies more between people than anybody warns

Comparing your recovery against someone else's is how two ordinary weeks start to feel like a complication. Four extractions at once, impacted roots near the nerve, age, smoking and how much bone had to be removed all change the timeline substantially.

Reports of being fine in three days and reports of aching for a month are both common and both true. Neither says anything useful about your own socket.

The measure that matters is direction. Slowly improving is fine at any speed; the same or worse after two weeks is worth a phone call.

i'm sorry if my post came across the wrong way. my intention was to give peace of mind to those who are worried about healing after wisdom teeth removal. everyone’s experience is different, and i just wanted to share mine to help others feel less anxious. thanks for the comment!

— r/wisdomteeth

Common questions

Is it normal to still have pain two weeks after wisdom teeth removal?

Often, yes, particularly after a surgical or impacted lower extraction. Jaw stiffness commonly lasts two to four weeks, and food collecting in an open socket causes an ache that comes and goes. What matters is whether it is improving.

What is the hard sharp thing coming out of my gum after an extraction?

Almost always a small fragment of bone being pushed out by the body, known as a sequestrum, and it appears two to four weeks afterwards. It resolves on its own, and a dentist can remove it in seconds if it is catching.

Can you get dry socket two weeks after extraction?

It typically starts three to five days after the procedure, so two weeks is outside the usual window. Severe throbbing pain radiating to the ear that has never eased should still be looked at, whatever the timeline says.

When should I call about pain after wisdom teeth removal?

Same day if there is fever, spreading swelling, difficulty swallowing, pus, or pain that is increasing. Also if swelling had gone down and has come back, which is the pattern that suggests a late infection.

How do I clean a socket that is collecting food?

Gentle warm salt water rinses after meals, and a curved irrigation syringe if the surgery will provide one. Rinse gently rather than forcefully, and by two weeks there is no longer any risk of disturbing the clot.

Check the direction first. Pain that is slowly easing, with stiffness on opening and an ache around meals, is an ordinary two-week recovery after a surgical extraction.

If it is the same or worse than last week, or the swelling has come back, phone the surgery today. Late infection is simple to treat now and considerably harder in another fortnight.