Ectopic & Supernumerary Tooth

General Surgical Warnings.

Pain. As it is a surgical procedure, there will be soreness
after the tooth removal. This can last for several days.
Painkillers such as ibuprofen, paracetamol, Solpadeine or
Nurofen Plus are very effective. Obviously, the painkiller
you use is dependent on your medical history & the ease
with which the tooth was removed.

Swelling. There will be swelling afterwards. This can last
up to a week. Use of an icepack or a bag of frozen peas
pressed against the cheek adjacent to the tooth removed
will help to decrease the swelling. Avoidance in the first
few hours post-op, of alcohol, exercise or hot foods / drinks
will decrease the degree of swelling that will develop.

Occasionally, there is bleeding into the cheek. The swelling
caused by this may take much longer to resolve; at the
same time, there may well be limitations to mouth opening.
This also improves with time.

Bruising. Some people are prone to bruise. The bruising
can look quite florid; this will eventually resolve but can take
several weeks (in the worst cases).

Stitches. The operation site will often be closed with
stitches. These dissolve and ‘fall out’ within 10 – 14 days.

Limited Mouth Opening. Often the chewing muscles and
the jaw joints are sore after the procedure so that mouth
opening can be limited for the next few days. If you are
unlucky enough to develop an infection in operation site
afterwards, this can make the limited mouth opening worse
and last for longer.

Bleeding into Cheeks. Swelling that does not resolve
within a few days may be due to bleeding into the cheek.
The cheek swelling will feel quite firm. Coupled with this,
there may be limitation to mouth opening and bruising. Both
the swelling, bruising and mouth opening will resolve with
time.

Post-op Infection. You may develop an infection in the
socket after the operation. This tends to occur 2 – 4 days
later and is characterised by a deep-seated throbbing pain,
bad breath and an unpleasant taste in the mouth. This
infection is more likely to occur if you are a smoker, or are
on the contraceptive pill, or on drugs such as steroids and if
bone has to be removed to facilitate tooth extraction.

Surgical Removal. To facilitate the removal of teeth, it is
sometimes necessary to cut the gum and / or remove bone
from around the tooth. If this is the case, you can expect
the extraction site to be sorer afterwards, the swelling to
be greater and more prone to infection. Hence, stronger
painkillers are needed; use of icepacks mandatory and
antibiotics will probably be prescribed. The bone grows
back to a greater extent.

Bony Flakes. If a number of teeth are removed at one go,
the resulting gums may feel a bit rough. Occasionally, bony
flakes (sequestra) from the lining of the tooth sockets can
work their way loose out through the gums. These can be
quite sore. They often work their way loose without any
problems but may need to be teased out or even smoothed.