Why is there a hard lump after wisdom teeth removal

Hello all,

9 days ago, I had two impacted wisdom teeth removed (lower). 9 days later, one cheek is still a bit swollen and I have now noticed a hard lump lying on the outside of my jaw, which can be felt when rubbing my lower cheek.

I am going to go to my dentist tomorrow and ask him about it, but I would like to know if anyone else has experienced this? Is it a blood clot in the cheek? It only hurts a bit when I press on it.

Thank you for your support,

00048560

Just checking in.

I went in for a follow up appointment, and it turns out that the hard lump I was feeling was my gums filled with pus. Both holes are infected.

He said it was a tiny infection (his words), and didn't prescribe antibiotics. I am really worried about this being a recurring issue, or not resolving itself.

Anyone here had a similar experience?

Shared stories would be very helpful. I'm experiencing a lot of anxiety over this.

I had exactly the same thing after getting both bottom wisdom teeth removed under general anaesthetic. I noticed this hard lump, just on the right side. It wasn't actually near the extraction site, it was halfway down my jawbone between front and back and it only happened a while after the surgery. I was convinced they'd broke my jawbone! It was rock hard and got bigger for a while. I was too nervous to ask anyone to check it but its all ok now and it was never really noticeable to other people. It was there for ages though! I've just checked it after reading your post and there's no sign of it now. Still have no idea what caused it!

I had exactly the same thing after getting both bottom wisdom teeth removed under general anaesthetic. I noticed this hard lump, just on the right side. It wasn't actually near the extraction site, it was halfway down my jawbone between front and back and it only happened a while after the surgery. I was convinced they'd broke my jawbone! It was rock hard and got bigger for a while. I was too nervous to ask anyone to check it but its all ok now and it was never really noticeable to other people. It was there for ages though! I've just checked it after reading your post and there's no sign of it now. Still have no idea what caused it!

This has not been a fun experience for me at all. I will be dealing with this infection for weeks, hopefully not months. I don't want to take antibiotics due to their side effects, and also, I'm not running a fever or experiencing much else.

I found myself on this forum a couple of days ago after I also noticed a large lump on my jawline, after getting wisdom teeth removed. 10 days after I had two lower impacted wisdom teeth removed, I noticed the right side of my face was starting to swell again. I didn't think much of it. But later it became this hard lump and it hurt when I pressed on it. I was scared that it was an infection filled with pus and blood. My gums were really swollen around the teeth too. I read online that the lump wouldn't go away for a few weeks. But for the last 3 days, I have been rinsing my mouth with saltwater in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Truth be told, the lump became smaller and smaller, and the pain is completely gone. Now it feels like I never had the lump. so yes, it is possible to get rid of it in just FOUR DAYS. SALT WATER WORKS MIRACLES!!!!!!!!!

I have had a very similar thing, had 3 wisdom teeth removed and one was extremely difficult to extract. A one hour surgery turned into a two and a half hour surgery. It's been 5 days since the surgery and this lump is causing me more grief than the actual tooth wound sites. It's so swollen that I can't open or close my mouth properly, it's affecting my speech, I can't eat etc. and the sheer weight of the lump in my face makes it hard to be comfortable and sleep. It feels like it's wedged between my jaw in the joint connecting the top and bottom, and spreading into my cheek. I've just been to the dentist as I believed it was an abcess but apparently when there is trauma in a party of the body all the white blood cells rush to the site to kill the infection or cause of the trauma and this is what causes pus. However, antibiotics kill any infections so the pus then gardens into a thicker cheese-like substance (sorry, I know it's gross) and it can then be almost stuck in the cheek waiting to be slowly and eventually flushed away. I was very upset and uncomfortable and had really hoped the dentist could simply puncture the ball-like hard lump and it would ooze free and I'd feel much better, but in reality he said there wasn't much to squeeze out and it would take some time for the hard lump to clear. It can feel a very slight difference but not much beyond that. He called it 'induration' of the flesh of my cheek. I'm going to try and massage it each day, wash with salty water, he also gave me an oral steroid to take for 5 days only and I'll let you all know how u go. I've been so anxious and in so much discomfort! I hope I have good news in a week for anyone who might go through this in the future.