What describes painful swelling near an extraction site?

The condition that describes painful swelling near an extraction site is best classified as a post-operative infection, which is characterized by swelling and can include pain following a tooth extraction. After a tooth is removed, if proper care is not taken, bacteria can invade the site, leading to an infection, which may manifest as swelling, redness, and pain around the extraction area.

A dry socket, on the other hand, occurs when the blood clot at the site of the extraction becomes dislodged or dissolves before the wound has healed adequately. While it may involve significant discomfort and swelling, it typically does not present with the same level of swelling that accompanies an active infection. Instead, the primary symptom of a dry socket is often intense pain due to exposed bone.

Necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis primarily affects the gums and would not typically be localized to an extraction site, while a fistula is a channel that may develop due to infection but is not specific to the painful swelling around the extraction site itself.

Thus, when evaluating painful swelling in relation to dental procedures, a post-operative infection aligns most accurately with the described symptoms.