A mother of two has shared how a routine wisdom tooth removal led to one of the "most frightening" experiences of her life, as it landed her in the hospital in critical condition.
Sara Dick, 31, from Ontario, Canada, went to her dentist's office on September 28 to remove an impacted wisdom tooth that had partially surfaced. While everything appeared fine after the procedure, when she woke the following day, there was "significant swelling" affecting one side of her face.
"When I woke up the next morning, I looked like I had a tennis ball in my cheek, and it hurt to swallow," Dick told Newsweek. "I contacted my dentist and explained the pain and discomfort I was experiencing. He noted the swelling and potential infection, prescribed antibiotics and pain medication."
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As it turned out, Dick was due to return to the dentist's office later that day for her daughter's appointment. While there, the dentist looked at her swollen face and the heat radiating off her cheek before advising Dick to continue taking the medication, and to go to the ER if she had any breathing problems.
How Infections Can Occur
Wisdom tooth extraction is one of the most common oral surgery procedures, and while some swelling, discomfort and bruising are expected during the first few days, worsening symptoms can signal a more serious problem.
One potential complication is infection, and warning signs include increased swelling, fever, worsening pain, difficulty swallowing, redness, pus or a bad taste in the mouth.
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Dr. Sandip Sachar, a New York City dentist who regularly sees patients for extractions and implants, explained to Newsweek that reactions such as Dick's do not occur often, but they can happen.
"We all have bacteria in our mouth," Sachar said. "A tooth extraction creates a wound in that site, and if one's normal oral bacteria enters the deeper tissues at the extraction site and starts multiplying there, this can cause an infection."
In more significant instances, bacteria can gain access to deeper tissues and can spread beyond the socket. Infection is not a sign of poor technique or a nonsterile environment, however, as Sachar says that otherwise healthy patients can still develop a severe infection.
She notes that smoking, poor oral hygiene and uncontrolled diabetes can increase the risk.
Sachar continued: "Usually, it is the patient's own oral bacteria that is involved in these situations. Once these bacteria find their way from the extraction site into the deeper spaces beneath the jaw or the tongue, the infection can then spread quite rapidly."
In cases such as Dick's, when the swelling spreads toward the floor of the mouth and deeper into the neck, there is a danger of the airway becoming obstructed.
While the swelling was already "quite dramatic," Dick was unsure what was considered normal and what should be a concern.
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Later that day, Dick posted on social media—going by @lifewithsarbear on TikTok and @sarbearmua on Instagram—showing the swelling, and many people urged her to get help immediately.
Nonetheless, she tried to sleep it off. But when she woke up an hour later, the swelling was even worse. It was no longer affecting only her cheek and jaw. Now, her neck and throat were also swollen, making it difficult to swallow, open her mouth and speak.
With her condition progressing and social media users urging her to seek medical attention, Dick "started to panic" and headed to the emergency room.
"When I first arrived, I could feel shooting pains through my chin and lip. I remember feeling as though I was declining by the minute. My heart rate was tachycardic and my blood pressure was low," Dick said.
"I became increasingly frightened because I could feel that something was seriously wrong," she continued. "I didn't know how quickly my condition could change or how close I might be to a much more dangerous situation. I was absolutely terrified, and I could feel myself getting worse."
Once triaged at the hospital, the severity of the situation rapidly became clear.
Doctors told Dick that she was in critical condition, and that they needed to insert two IV lines so they could run multiple medications simultaneously to treat her for extreme inflammation and an infection.
"That's when my heart sank and everything sort of stopped for a minute," Dick said.
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The Importance of Seeking Help
Fortunately, the medical team worked incredibly fast to administer IV fluids, four antibiotics, steroids and two pain medications. Dick also underwent bloodwork and a CT scan, and an ear, nose and throat specialist assessed her.
Once she had improved sufficiently, Dick was discharged from the hospital to continue her recovery at home. While the swelling was significantly reduced, she was still in pain.
"Having to deal with pain as a mother with two young children was tough, but I'm grateful for my husband, family and friends," Dick said. "I'm doing much better now. I still have some mild swelling and pain, but I'm back to my regular daily activities."
"Honestly, if I hadn't posted on social media, I probably would have gone to bed that night thinking I was just dealing with normal swelling," she continued. "I don't know what might have happened if I had waited until the following morning."
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Dick remains profoundly grateful to the social media users who recognized the dangerous situation she was in and encouraged her to get treatment. She believed the swelling was to be expected and thought she could sleep it off, only to realize it was far worse.
"The biggest message I want people to take away from my experience is that dental complications can escalate incredibly quickly. I initially thought the swelling was normal after having a wisdom tooth removed, but I didn't know what was ordinary and what wasn't."
She added, "I hope sharing my experience encourages others to trust their instincts, take unusual symptoms seriously and seek medical attention when something doesn't feel right."
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Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sirena Bergman and Shakeema Edwards.