Tooth extractions are relatively standard, and millions of people get their wisdom teeth extracted every year in Canada. In addition, various other people undergo tooth removal of overcrowding, infections, tooth decay, and injuries.
If you have recently undergone tooth removal, you might notice a white formation in your tooth socket. The white material is granulation tissue containing blood vessels, collagen, and white blood cells. The granulation tissue is part of the natural healing process of your body and isn’t a cause for concern.
If you experience severe pain in the granulation tissue, it might indicate complications like an infection or dry socket. Please continue reading to learn more on how to tell the differences between the natural healing process of your body and other complications.
What Is the Granulation Tissue in the Tooth Socket?
If you do not experience severe pain 72 hours after tooth removal, the granulation tissue you notice isn’t likely a cause for concern. Unfortunately, if you are experiencing discomfort, it might indicate you have developed an infection or dry socket.
Granulation Tissue Explained
Your mouth starts the natural healing process after tooth removal, similar to other parts of your body. The blood clot formation completes within 24 hours of tooth removal to stop the bleeding. After blood clot formation, your body starts building the granulation tissue to cover the extraction site. The tissue appears creamy-white and contains white blood cells, collagen, and blood vessels.
Blood clot formation indicates healed tooth extraction. So long as you’re not experiencing any other symptoms, it shouldn’t be a cause for concern.
Actions You Can Take
After tooth removal, your dental Surgeon places gauze over the extraction site to control bleeding. The gauze can remain stuck to the extraction site leaving behind a tiny piece of cotton when removing it. You can leave the gauze by itself if it isn’t causing any pain because your body cares for it eventually.
How Painful Is a Dry Socket?
After undergoing tooth extractions in NW, Calgary, the most common complication you might experience is a dry socket. Dry sockets occur when the blood clot formation fails to develop or dislodges before your gums heal. Dry sockets expose the bone and nerves, causing severe pain days after tooth removal, radiating pain from the socket to your ear, temple or eyes, but breath, and an unpleasant taste in your mouth.
If you think you have a dry socket during tooth extraction healing stages, you must contact your dentist or oral Surgeon without delay. The primary symptom of a dry socket is severe pain several days after your surgical procedure.
How to Identify a Dry Socket
The white spots in your mouth can also be food debris left behind after eating. While the food particles aren’t harmful, they have the potential to dislodge the blood clot during your healing period. In such cases, you can use a saltwater rinse in your mouth to dislodge food particles.
Unfortunately, if you notice white or yellow pus after tooth removal, it indicates an infection. You might also experience continuing swelling beyond 72 hours, worsening pain, and ongoing bleeding for over 24 hours. In such cases, you must call your dentist immediately to confirm the presence of infections and receive recommendations for antibiotics.
Risks of a Dry Socket
Contact your dentist right away if the white granulation tissue you see is accompanied by pain and falls off. When the granulation tissue falls off, it exposes the nerves causing severe pain radiating from your socket to the side of your head. Exposed bone increases your chances of developing new infections.
You can develop a dry socket by smoking after tooth removal playing with the extraction site with your tongue to dislodge the blood clot resulting in a dry socket developing. Therefore after tooth removal, you must adhere to your dentist’s instructions to ensure you don’t confront any complications.
How Long Does It Take the hole to Close after Tooth Extraction?
The hole depends on the size of the tooth that was removed. If you underwent a simple extraction on teeth visible in your mouth, the gap created by the missing tooth should fill up within a week. However, if the tooth had large roots embedded in the jaw, you might require approximately three weeks to recover.
Surgical extractions to remove molars and wisdom teeth require incisions on the gums during the extraction. In such cases, you might need six weeks or more to have an entirely healed tooth extraction site.
The extraction site after tooth removal appears white, and so long as it remains that way, it isn’t a cause for concern.
Toothworks perform numerous simple and surgical tooth extractions. If you must have teeth extracted for any reason, please schedule an appointment with this facility to undergo your procedure.
