Gum Hurts Where Wisdom Tooth Was Removed Years Ago; I had my wisdom tooth taken out in the summer and I have been having pain on that side of my mouth since then. The only time I don’t feel anything is when I am chewing gum, but when I stop the pain comes back.
The dentist said nothing was wrong and just to wait a few weeks
If the pain is constant, and you have been to the dentist and they have found no cause for this pain, then you have to look at other factors.
What I would suggest is to keep a food log – when the pain occurs, what were you eating, how much was eaten in that sitting, how spicy or salty the food was.
Some people experience gum pain when they eat spicy food – this can be due to a condition called Burning Mouth Syndrome. This usually occurs with patients who are diabetic, or on certain medications.
When you have a tooth extracted there is very little blood supply left in the surrounding gums to heal that area properly. The nerves and blood vessels get “lost” in the extraction site – so it can be difficult for that area to heal up properly. When you eat something hot or spicy or anything that is acidic – this will cause the nerve endings in your gums to react like they would normally if your mouth was not numb from an extraction.
You need to talk to your dentist about this and see what he/she has to say about it – if it’s happening every time you eat something spicy or hot, then maybe avoid those foods until your gums heal properly, which could take several months!
It is not uncommon to experience a little soreness or swelling after a wisdom tooth extraction. Often, this will be temporary and is not concerning.
It is normal to have some discomfort during the healing process. Discomfort that lasts more than 3-5 days or becomes severe should be evaluated by your dentist.
The pain you are experiencing may be due to dry socket, a common complication of tooth extraction. Dry socket occurs when the blood clot in the empty tooth socket does not form properly or gets dislodged before the wound has fully healed. The nerve and bone of the jaw are then left exposed, which can cause pain and other symptoms.
To prevent dry socket, avoid smoking cigarettes or using tobacco products for at least 72 hours after your tooth extraction and avoid rinsing vigorously, spitting, sucking from straws, drinking carbonated beverages and vigorous exercise for at least 24 hours after your surgery.
If you are experiencing severe pain, fever or are unable to eat and drink comfortably following a tooth extraction, seek immediate care from your dentist as soon as possible to help prevent any complications of your surgery and speed up your recovery time.
The gum hurts because of the swelling and inflammation that occurs with any surgical procedure. The pain gets better as the tissues heal. You can also make it better by doing hot salt water rinses. This will help to prevent infection and aid in healing.
The tooth may be removed due to infection or just crowding of the teeth. It would be helpful if there was an xray to determine if there is an infection in the bone around the area where the tooth was removed. If you are having constant pain then you should see your dentist for evaluation and treatment.
If the pain is severe, it is best that you see a dentist.**
Pain in this area can be from the nerves or from the bone. The nerves will resolve with time, and sometimes need dental intervention to settle down (usually a root canal). The bone can also cause pain if there is an infection or cyst in the area. This will require surgical intervention.**
Of course, if you’re running a fever, have swelling or other symptoms such as difficulty of opening or closing your mouth or seeing swelling on your neck, then you need to go to a hospital without delay.**
The only way to know for sure what’s going on is to get an X-ray of the area.
If you are experiencing pain, please contact your dentist or an oral surgeon as soon as possible. You may need a root canal or extraction of the tooth.
Take an anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen or naproxen to help with pain and inflammation.
Apply an ice pack to the cheek outside the area of discomfort and switch to warm packs after 24 hours.
Rinse your mouth several times a day with warm salt water, especially after meals.
Gently brush and floss your teeth as usual.
Avoid hard, crunchy, and chewy foods for several days to allow healing to occur.
Can You Get Pericoronitis Years After Wisdom Teeth Removal?

Q: Can you get pericoronitis years after wisdom teeth removal?
A: It’s not common, but it can happen. If there are bacteria present in the mouth, they can cause an infection in the soft tissue around a tooth. In this case, it is the pericoronal tissue. This is a condition called pericoronitis and it occurs most commonly in the lower wisdom teeth. However, if you have had your wisdom teeth removed and then develop this condition, it is typically in the tooth above or below your wisdom tooth spaces.
The best way to deal with pericoronitis is to see your dentist for treatment as soon as possible. If you wait too long, the infection can spread to other parts of the body and make you very sick. The first thing your dentist will do is take an x-ray to determine whether there is any damage to the underlying bone. If there is no damage, he or she may simply lance the abscess (pus-filled area) and clean out any debris in the area. You’ll likely be given a course of antibiotics at this time to prevent any further infection from occurring.
If there is damage to the underlying bone, your dentist will probably refer you to an
It is possible to get pericoronitis years after wisdom teeth removal.
Pericoronitis is inflammation of the gum tissue around a partially erupted tooth.
This issue can develop if food or bacteria become trapped between the gum and the tooth.
Pericoronitis can lead to pain and swelling, and it can cause bad breath and trouble opening your mouth wide.
If you have any of these symptoms, visit your dentist to discuss treatment options.
If you’ve had your wisdom teeth removed, it’s possible for a flap of gum tissue to grow over the area where your tooth used to be. This is called operculum.
If you’re not brushing and flossing well, food particles can get stuck near the flap of gum. Bacteria can then grow in this area and cause an infection. This infection is known as pericoronitis.
Pericoronitis may occur years after the wisdom teeth have been removed. It’s most common with the lower wisdom teeth because there isn’t enough room for them to come in normally.
Yes, but it is very uncommon. I have only seen it a few times in my career, and was surprised when I did. The problem is that the gum tissue around the tooth doesn’t close properly and food debris and bacteria can accumulate under the gum tissue.
There are a few treatment options with this condition:
Antibiotics to treat the infection.
Removal of the flap of gum tissue around the tooth.
Removal of any remaining bone to eliminate any pockets where food can accumulate.
If you have had your wisdom teeth out for a while and think you may be experiencing symptoms of pericoronitis, make an appointment with your dentist so they can assess the situation and recommend a course of action.
I am a dentist, and the answer to your question is “yes”. Pericoronitis is simply an infection of the soft tissue surrounding (peri-) a tooth. This can happen to any tooth.
The reason we see so much of this around wisdom teeth is that they are hard to clean and often erupt at an odd angle or only partially, making it hard to get good gum tissue health around them.
It can also be due to other factors though:
- some people have extra gum tissue around their teeth that makes the area more likely to trap bacteria
- some people have particularly weak immune systems or other diseases that make them more prone to infection
- some people just have bad luck (it’s not like getting struck by lightning, but it does happen)
Pericoronitis is inflammation of the soft tissue adjacent to a partially erupted tooth, usually the third molar or wisdom tooth. The most common cause of pericoronitis is food impaction leading to bacterial proliferation and accumulation of dental plaque.
Pericoronitis can be acute or chronic; it may occur long after removal of the offending tooth.
Tooth decay and gum disease are not the only reasons people get their wisdom teeth removed.
Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last permanent teeth to develop in your mouth. They generally come in during late adolescence or early adulthood and often cause problems for many people.
Some of these problems include:
Wisdom teeth can push against your other teeth and may cause pain, crowding, and damage to other teeth.
The roots on wisdom teeth are often fully developed before the tooth breaks through the gum line. This can make it difficult to thoroughly clean them, which increases the risk of cavities and gum disease. Wisdom teeth can also get stuck (impacted) below the surface of the gums or bone and cause pain, infection, or damage to nearby teeth.
The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons recommends that wisdom teeth be removed if they are impacted or are likely to become impacted in the future. You may want to think about having your wisdom teeth removed if they are causing you pain or problems with your surrounding teeth.
Why Does it Hurt Where My Wisdom Teeth Were?

You were smart enough to get your wisdom teeth removed, but now you’re wondering why does it hurt where my wisdom teeth were.
Even though your wisdom teeth have been extracted, there’s still a chance that you can experience jaw pain after having your wisdom teeth removed.
When your dentist says “you’ll see me the day after surgery,” they’re not kidding! It’s important that you attend all of your follow-up appointments so your dentist can check on the healing process of your mouth and ensure that there are no complications from removing your wisdom teeth.
If it does hurt where my wisdom teeth were, will it go away?
The pain and sensitivity you might experience at the site where your wisdom teeth used to be is usually normal. Before you start panicking, consider these factors:
How were my wisdom teeth removed? If you had impacted (buried) wisdom teeth, they might have been harder to remove than if they were showing above the gum line. Your dentist may have had to cut through bone or tissue to extract them. This could lead to more post-surgery pain that can last longer than usual.
Did I eat before my surgery? Wisdom tooth removal is different from other dental surgeries in that you aren’t allowed to eat or drink anything
It is possible to have problems when you have your wisdom teeth removed. In fact, some people who have their wisdom teeth removed experience pain long after the tooth has been taken out. But pain that occurs after a tooth extraction where the wisdom teeth used to be is not common
If you’re experiencing pain at the site where your wisdom teeth were removed, there are a few possible causes.
Cysts. When a tooth is extracted and left in the gum for a period of time after it is taken out, there can be residual tissue and cells that remain. This can cause cysts to form in the area where the tooth was taken out. Cysts aren’t typically painful but can damage your jawbone if they are left untreated and grow larger over time.
Dry socket. Dry socket is a condition that occurs when a blood clot doesn’t form in the socket where a tooth was extracted or if the blood clot dissolves before healing had occurred. If you don’t get enough blood flow to an area of your body, it won’t heal properly, and this can lead to some issues with healing after surgery. The most common reason for dry socket to occur is tobacco use, which decreases blood flow in your gums and other tissues in your mouth. If you’re having
If you experience pain in the area where your wisdom teeth used to be, it could indicate a problem with the extraction.
Some people experience pain after wisdom tooth removal because they have dry socket. This occurs when the blood clot that forms after surgery is dislodged or doesn’t form properly. The pain can vary in intensity and usually begins three to four days after surgery.
To prevent dry socket, avoid drinking through a straw and spitting forcefully. Be careful not to dislodge the blood clot as you brush your teeth or rinse your mouth. Don’t smoke or chew tobacco during recovery, as this increases your risk of complications.
If you have dry socket, there’s no need to panic. Your dentist can give you a special dressing to place in the socket to protect it while it heals. They may also prescribe an antibiotic or pain reliever for severe cases.
If the pain doesn’t go away within a few days, call your dentist. Infection is another possible complication of having wisdom teeth removed. Your dentist can examine you and determine whether you need antibiotics or another procedure to treat the infection
When you’re having dental surgery, it’s common for the area to feel tender after the surgery. The pain is sometimes referred to as a “phantom pain.” This is because the nerves that were connected to your wisdom teeth are still there even after the tooth has been removed.
With time, the nerves and body will adjust to not having those teeth there anymore. This can happen in a few weeks, but it can take up to a year for some people.
If you’re in pain or have any other concerns about your oral health, ask your dentist or oral surgeon if they recommend anything else.
After the wisdom teeth are removed, the area may feel numb for a few hours. This is because of the local anesthesia that was used during the procedure. Numbness in the lower lip, chin and tongue usually resolves within 12 hours after surgery.
The area may feel sore after surgery. This soreness does not last long and can be relieved by taking pain medicines as prescribed by your dentist or surgeon.
After a few days, you may notice some bruising and swelling in your jaw area. You can use ice packs to reduce this swelling. The swelling should go down in 2-3 days after extraction and completely resolves within 7-10 days.
Once upon a time, when humans had larger jaws than we do now, wisdom teeth were an asset. But as our jaws got smaller, these teeth became more and more problematic.Today they often grow in sideways or only emerge halfway, pushing on other teeth and causing pain. That’s why most people have them removed — not to mention the fact that they’re hard to clean, so they can be a breeding ground for cavities.
Although it may feel like your mouth is still healing for months after the surgery, most of the real healing is done within two weeks.
“The only thing that’s going on [after two weeks] is scar tissue formation,” says Dr. Jeffrey Rouse, a dentist in New Orleans who specializes in oral surgery. “Every single wound you get in your body forms scar tissue.”
One complication some people experience is called dry socket. This happens when the protective blood clot at the extraction site comes out before the hole has closed up. A dry socket can be extremely painful because there’s nothing to protect the nerves underneath. It usually occurs within three days of surgery and is treated by placing a dressing into the socket and taking over-the-counter pain medication until it heals, which can take several days.
A. Pain is common after tooth extraction. If the pain is severe or lasts for more than a couple of days, see your dentist.
You may have some swelling or bruising when the anaesthesia wears off, but this will settle down over the next day or two.
You should also expect some blood-stained saliva and maybe a few blood clots for 24 hours after the procedure.