What to do when dental surgery leads to ear pain

Sometimes dental surgery leads to ear pain, but there are some things you can do to decrease the discomfort and get back to your normal life. Having to go through dental surgery is bad enough, but suffering from ear pain afterwards can be even worse. Not everyone experiences ear pain from dental surgery, but for those who do, it can increase the time it takes to get back to their regular routine.

The most basic cause of ear pain is having your mouth open for a long period of time while the dentist was doing his or her work. Holding the jaw in the open position can cause the muscles around the sides of the face and the ears to become stiff. You may also experience difficulty opening and closing your mouth.

Pain in this area may also be caused by the injection that the dentist uses to numb your mouth in preparation for dental surgery. Injections in the lower jaw can cause trismus, an often painful condition that affects the muscles close to the injection site. If you have trismus, you might also have trouble speaking, swallowing or opening your mouth.

If you suffer from ear pain after dental surgery, to treat it like you would treat any muscle injury. Most importantly, reduce the amount of work your facial muscles have to do by eating soft foods that do not require much chewing, such as soups, stews and yogurt. Try to avoid opening your mouth wide or clenching your teeth while you are recovering. Anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen can help to reduce pain and swelling around the ear and side of the face. You can also place a hot washcloth on the painful area to allow the heat to soothe and relax the muscle.

If your ear pain doesn't go away or gets worse, speak to your dentist. Experiencing some pain after dental surgery is normal, but persistent or severe pain may indicate that you have an infection, for which your dentist may need to prescribe antibiotics. Your dentist can also give you advice about dealing with pain or any other symptoms that are causing you concern after dental surgery.