“How do you know if you have an infection after oral surgery?”

Swelling, intense redness at surgery site, drainage (pus) from site or fever could all be signs of infection.

If your surgery was performed when you had an infection, then you would be looking for signs of improvement. In the first 24 hours after surgery, if you already had a prior infection, you may not see a vast improvement and you most probably would be on an antibiotic. There are 5 signs of infection: Redness, swelling, heat, pain, and/or loss of sensation. There may also be throbbing with each beat of your heart. If you have one or more of these symptoms, you should communicate with the surgeon’s office to share your concerns.

Dr. Warren Torchinsky