A mother of two has shared how a routine wisdom tooth removal led to one of the "most frightening" experiences of her life, as it landed her in the hospital in critical condition. Sara Dick, 31, from Ontario, Canada, went to her dentist's office on September 28 to remove an impacted wisdom tooth that had partially surfaced. While everything appeared fine after the procedure, when she woke the following day, there was "significant swelling" affecting one side of her face.
"When I woke up the next morning, I looked like I had a tennis ball in my cheek, and it hurt to swallow," Dick told Newsweek. "I contacted my dentist and explained the pain and discomfort I was experiencing. He noted the swelling and potential infection, prescribed antibiotics and pain medication." As it turned out, Dick was due to return to the dentist's office later that day for her daughter's appointment.
While there, the dentist looked at her swollen face and the heat radiating off her cheek before advising Dick to continue taking the medication, and to go to the ER if she had any breathing problems. Wisdom tooth extraction is one of the most common oral surgery procedures, and while some swelling, discomfort and bruising are expected during the first few days, worsening symptoms can signal a more serious problem. One potential complication is infection, and warning signs include increased swelling, fever, worsening pain, difficulty swallowing, redness, pus or a bad taste in the mouth.
Sandip Sachar, a New York City dentist who regularly sees patients for extractions and implants, explained to Newsweek that reactions such as Dick's do not occur often, but they can happen. "We all have bacteria in our mouth," Sachar said. "A tooth extraction creates a wound in that site, and if one's normal oral bacteria enters the deeper tissues at the extraction site and starts multiplying there, this can cause an infection." In more significant instances, bacteria can gain access to deeper tissues and can spread beyond the socket.
Infection is not a sign of poor technique or a nonsterile environment, however, as Sachar says that otherwise healthy patients can still develop a severe infection. She notes that smoking, poor oral hygiene and uncontrolled diabetes can increase the risk. Sachar continued: "Usually, it is the patient's own oral bacteria that is involved in these situations.
Once these bacteria find their way from the extraction site into the deeper spaces beneath the jaw or the tongue, the infection can then spread quite rapidly." In cases such as Dick's, when the swelling spreads toward the floor of the mouth and deeper into the neck, there is a danger of the airway becoming obstructed. While the swelling was already "quite dramatic," Dick was unsure what was considered normal and what should be a concern. Later that day, Dick posted on social media—going by @lifewithsarbear on TikTok and @sarbearmua on Instagram—showing the swelling, and many people urged her to get help immediately.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
