“How long does jaw stiffness last after wisdom teeth extraction?”

That's an excellent question, one that's probably best answered by your oral surgeon. It can generally last several days (hopefully) or up to several weeks. You were probably told to put ice on your face for the first 24 hours and then use heat. The heat will help bring blood into the area to aid in healing and also will relax overstretched ligaments and sore muscles. You also may have been told to take an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen. If you can take it it will help. So you know, if the pain is diminishing, but then starts coming back, you may have what's called a dry socket. Definitely see your surgeon.
Feel better.

It depends on the difficulty of the extraction.Best scenario 3 to 5 days.

Jaw stiffness can vary between each patient and procedure. Usually a week or two is fairly normal. I would recommend contacting your doctor to see if they prescribed any pain medication, anti-inflammatory medicine. If the situation is getting worse, contact your doctor to let them know the situation. After any extraction, we see our patients in a week to check on healing.

After wisdom teeth extraction jaw stiffness is common and usually takes about 2 weeks to feel normal. The ice pack in the first 24 hours helps with the swelling and the painkillers (depending on which one is prescribed) can help with internal inflammation. Massaging the jaw when taking warm showers also helps. If the jaw is very stiff, then short-term muscle relaxants may be prescribed at the discretion of your dentist.

With gratitude,

Sheena Bhatia, DDS

It should subside within the next 2-3 days. Sometimes it takes a while, especially if you had a tough surgery.