About 3 days after your tooth extraction, your gums will begin to heal and close around the removal site. And finally, 7-10 days after your procedure, the opening left by your extracted tooth should be closed (or almost closed), and your gums should no longer be tender or swollen.
You can expect any bleeding to stop within the first 24 hours and should feel better after the effects of sedation have worn off. Full healing might take up to two weeks. Contact your dentist or Columbia Smiles if you've recently had oral surgery and have questions about your recovery.
In the next 24-48 hours following surgery the gum tissue will begin to heal, which involves the formation of granulation tissue. This tissue is typically white or cloudy over the incision, which sometimes causes concern for patients, but it is normal for healing gum tissue.
If your swelling and pain increase after 3 days, call the clinic for an appointment. You will have the most discomfort when feel- ing starts to return to your mouth. You can expect to have bleeding or “oozing” for the first 12 to 24 hours after surgery.
Oral Surgery Infection Symptoms
Throbbing pain that will not go away even though you use pain medications. You might develop a fever that may persist for more than a day or increase after a few days.
Avoid sucking through a straw, aggressively rinsing your mouth, and spitting for the first 72 hours after oral surgery to prevent blood clots from loosening. Rinse gently in the following days. Also, avoid touching the site with your finger, toothbrush, floss, or anything else because it might cause irritation.
Note: it's normal for a healing wound in the mouth to be white.
This tissue is comprised of blood vessels, collagens and white blood cells, hence its white colour. This is a normal part of your body's healing process, so while it may seem alarming at first, it's actually really important as it protects the site until new gum tissue or bone can form.
Shortly after, you will see tooth extraction healing white stuff form around the tooth socket. If you are not in any pain, this is a good sign. It means that the white stuff is something called granulation tissue, that replaces the clot in the extraction site as the wound begins to heal.
By day 3, your gum swelling should subside and your open wound from extraction will begin to close. In 7 days, your gums should be very close to being completely healed with minimal sensitivity or pain. These are all signs that your gums are healing nicely and in the expected time frame.
It looks creamy white and typically develops two to three days after the extraction once the clot has formed. It helps protect the clot and cover the wound. By one to two weeks after the tooth extraction, a normal socket will be pink in color instead of dark red.
When it comes to molar extraction, the healing time may be longer than any other tooth. In this case, it is the gum tissue and the jaw bone that need to heal. Therefore, you can expect the socket to heal completely after several months.
In general, however, most people feel well enough to return to their normal activities within a few days to a week after surgery. It is important to follow our instructions during the recovery period to ensure proper healing. This may include taking pain medication and eating soft foods.
They may feel slightly odd or uncomfortable, but should not be painful. Over time, the stitches will either dissolve into your surgery site or fall out. Both are completely normal. Avoid pulling at the stitches, as this can disturb the healing process and cause you pain.
The color of the graft may vary from pink to white. This is completely normal. The color will shift to red and pink as the swelling subsides. Some patients may take a long time to complete the gum graft healing stages.
After a tooth extraction, you should develop a blood clot in the socket (hole) that's left behind. It'll look like a dark-colored scab. But if you have a dry socket, the clot will be absent and you'll be able to see bone. For this reason, dry sockets usually appear white.
Healthy gums look firm and bright pink in colour..
The colouring can vary according to the natural skin tone of each person. While they are light pink in very fair-skinned people, they are slightly darker with a slight coral tone in dark-skinned people.
A telltale sign of maceration is skin that looks soggy, feels soft, or appears whiter than usual. There may be a white ring around the wound in wounds that are too moist or have exposure to too much drainage.
Green, yellow, brown or white colour: A wound exhibiting purulence is plagued with pus – a sign of infection. If the pus appears to be green, yellow, brown or milky white in colour, it indicates a progression of infection. Distinct odour: Most wounds have a peculiar smell.
Healthy granulation tissue is pink in colour and is an indicator of healing. Unhealthy granulation is dark red in colour, often bleeds on contact, and may indicate the presence of wound infection. Such wounds should be cultured and treated in the light of microbiological results.
Rest. Restrict your activities the day of surgery and resume normal activity when you feel comfortable. Avoid excessive physical activity like sports, exercise, bending over or heavy lifting for 3-5 days following surgery.
It is important for the patient who has had intravenous sedation or general anesthesia to stay home and rest for the remaining day of surgery. All surgery patients should get adequate rest and avoid exercise or strenuous activities for 5-7 days after surgery. No bending over or lifting heavy objects.
Many Patients Return to Work in a Couple of Days
Every patient is unique, but most are able to get back on the job within two or three days of the wisdom teeth removal procedure.