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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Swelling, Hardness And Pain Behind The Neck?

Hard neck on back-ish part of neck. Like 2 inches below my ear and then back an inch of two. Appeared basically overnight, was swollen/very painful at first and swelled to over the size of golf ball with in 48 hours. After swelling went down a hard, painless lump remained, maybe 3/4 the size of golfball. It protrudes and is very noticeable.
Mon, 12 Sep 2016
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Dentist,  's  Response
Hello,

I can understand your concern. The area you are describing is the posterior/back mandibular/lower jaw area.

If you have a decayed back tooth in the lower jaw or if you have a third molar in the bone that is impacted (not able to erupt into oral cavity due to lack of space), this kind of swelling is possible.

I would advise you to visit a dentist for clinical examination of the oral cavity for the focus of decay or impacted wisdom tooth. If the tooth is decayed, root canal treatment or extraction is advised based on the extent of the decay. If the third molar is impacted, its extraction is advised.

However, if the dentist negates any such possibility, you should consult an ENT specialist for disorder related to ear or neck.

I hope this information helps you. Thank you for choosing HealthcareMagic. I wish you feel better soon.

Best,
Dr. Viraj Shah
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What Causes Swelling, Hardness And Pain Behind The Neck?

Hello, I can understand your concern. The area you are describing is the posterior/back mandibular/lower jaw area. If you have a decayed back tooth in the lower jaw or if you have a third molar in the bone that is impacted (not able to erupt into oral cavity due to lack of space), this kind of swelling is possible. I would advise you to visit a dentist for clinical examination of the oral cavity for the focus of decay or impacted wisdom tooth. If the tooth is decayed, root canal treatment or extraction is advised based on the extent of the decay. If the third molar is impacted, its extraction is advised. However, if the dentist negates any such possibility, you should consult an ENT specialist for disorder related to ear or neck. I hope this information helps you. Thank you for choosing HealthcareMagic. I wish you feel better soon. Best, Dr. Viraj Shah