In this blog, we are going to outline how tooth extractions should look like when they are healing, and how they do not. Because there is the possibility of complications following your tooth extraction, this blog will explain what you should expect while recovering, and how you can tell whether the site of your tooth extraction has healed correctly. As we mentioned earlier, each recovery is different and will vary depending on where your teeth are located, as well as how many and what kind of extractions were performed, but these are the main post-treatment tips that you should follow in order to accelerate your recovery time.
The overall healing time for tooth extractions depends on the tooth location and type of extraction performed, but you can expect to have full recovery within seven to 10 days. In the case of more complex extractions, the healing time may be two to three weeks. When you have your wisdom teeth removed, it takes about six weeks to completely heal your jaw and gums, and to reattach.
About 3 days after the extraction, the gums will start healing and closing around the area of removal. By this point, the holes left by your extraction will be closed in most cases, although healing times can be a little longer for larger teeth such as molars. Finally, in seven to 10 days after the procedure, the hole left from the extracted tooth should have closed (or nearly closed) and your gums should not feel sore or swollen anymore. One week after tooth extraction, your stitches will be removed if you had any, and your dentist will carefully examine your extraction site to ensure that your extraction site is healing properly.
In terms of filling the extracted tooth sockets until the point that the extraction site does not show a lot of recessed area where a tooth used to sit, the timeframe required is going to be something like 4 months or more. This means, for instance, if you had an extensive procedure done, such as having your wisdom teeth surgically removed, then you should expect that the overall amount of healing time required by an extensive procedure done is going to be greater than the amount required by a less extensive extraction, such as having a lower incisor extraction or pulling out baby teeth. Wider, deeper wounds left from relatively large teeth (canines, premolars) or those with multiple roots (molars), or wounds caused by surgical extractions (such as those necessary for removing an impacted wisdom tooth), will take longer to heal and show signs of filling. In cases in which a extracted tooth needs replacement, we will explain how the healing at the site of extraction will impact the timeline for that future dental work.
Depending on your circumstances, you might simply have your tooth pulled with no surgery required, or your oral surgeon might have to do something known as surgical extraction. Sometimes, what starts out as a simple extraction may escalate to requiring a surgical extraction, either because your tooth is broken, or your oral surgeon has difficulty pulling your tooth. Whether you are getting a tooth extracted due to having a wisdom tooth removed, or you are getting one because your teeth are damaged, there is always a healing process involved. If your extraction is not healing properly, or you notice something unusual, you will have to see your dentist.
The first couple days after extractions need the most attention, because that is when the majority of the healing is done in the mouth. Twelve days after extraction, you will want to pay extra attention during those first couple days of your extraction, because most times, your mouth is going to be healing. The first two days after extractions need extra care, because your mouth usually heals in that period. Within 24 hours of the extraction, bleeding should cease and a clot should start to form.
Within 24 hours after extraction, a clot will form in the socket of your tooth, stopping the bleeding. During the first week following extraction, the blood clot that initially formed in your tooth socket will be partly colonized (it is in the process of being completely replaced) by granulation tissue. After tooth extraction, the normal socket develops a blood clot, which stays in place as the wound heals, and a persons pain steadily diminishes.
His or her socket will eventually fill in and flatten out, but the shape of the bone will be altered in the area immediately surrounding the site of extraction. Over time, as healing occurs and new bone is formed in the socket, that layer will slowly resorb (be broken down and dispersed by your body) because your tooth is gone now and no longer serves any purpose. You will easily be able to tell when the swelling is going to decrease, bleeding is going to stop, and your empty tooth socket is starting to close.
Once you complete the procedure of extracting a tooth, you will undoubtedly wonder how long it will take to heal the socket, and what the appearance of your tooth will be as it does so. It is useful to review dental extraction healing pictures corresponding to the stage that you are in, so you can better understand how the site should look after the extraction.
As for seeing changes, you will really not be able to see all that much during the first 24 hours following surgery as far as actual extraction site healing is concerned. During the first few weeks of your healing process following extraction, you will easily see and feel a noticeable hole left in your jawbone.
You might still feel some tenderness in the area where you extracted, but this should not be causing any major pain or bleeding. If pain and bleeding continues for 2-3 days, please consult with your dentist to make sure that your procedure is free from complications. You will most likely get a follow-up appointment with your Medford dentist in approximately two weeks to determine how you are progressing or succeeding in your healing process.
After coming into the Dr. Priti Naik Dr. Priti Naiks office to get a tooth extracted, simply be sure to follow all her instructions on healing, and all will be fully healed within just a couple weeks. During the first 24 hours after you pull a tooth, several things happen.