Pre removal of wisdom teeth caused major swelling of cheek. Should I go to a dentist?
Patient: Hi Doctor, I went to the dentist to remove my 5th wisdom tooth (in the upper right jaw). The local anesthesia which was given pre-removal caused major swelling of my cheek. I was told by the dentist that the injection hit the blood vessel . Immediately after swelling I applied ice pack for about an hour with an interval of 1 min. I took antibiotics for 4-5 days and the swelling is reduced a bit but not completely. I have terrible pain when i touch my cheek on the injection spot. Its been 6 days now. Could you please tell me what needs to be done now? Right now I am in another city and could not go to the same dentist... Please advise what can be done. Thanks,, Doctor: Hi,  Thanks for  asking  the  query,  The  swelling  which  appeared  is  known  as  Hematoma ,  it  is  painless  distended  swelling  . It  occurs  due  to  effusion of  blood  into  the  extravascular  spaces during  the  injection  of  the  local  anesthetic  solution .  Immediate  management  of  hematoma is  application  of  external  pressure over  the  affected  area .  It  can  be  relieved  by  application  of  ice  packs  on  the  affected  area. Take  complete  course  of  antibiotic  and  analgesic .  Usually  it  takes 7-14 days  to  resolve .  Hope  this  helps  out  .  Regards...