The spaces previously occupied by teeth are quite large, and they will take several weeks to months for the spaces to fill in and full healing to occur. After just the first couple of weeks, you should no longer experience any bleeding, and any discomfort you feel should be minimal.
Within 14-21 days, the hole will close, and your gums will heal. Keep in mind that large teeth, like the back teeth and wisdom teeth removal, takes the longest to heal. After a month, your tooth hole should be completely healed, and there should be no spicules or indentations.
Gum tissue and other soft tissues in the mouth heal more rapidly than the body's other tissues, like skin, and in most cases, gum tissue has sufficiently healed within 7 to 10 days following a procedure to allow for the removal of stitches at the extraction site.
A teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water gently rinsed around the socket twice a day can help to clean and heal the area. Keep this up for at least a week or for as long as your dentist tells you. It is important to keep to a healthy diet; and take a Vitamin C supplement, which will help your mouth 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.
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.
The spaces previously occupied by teeth are quite large, and they will take several weeks to months for the spaces to fill in and full healing to occur. After just the first couple of weeks, you should no longer experience any bleeding, and any discomfort you feel should be minimal.
The healing timeline can be delayed by the health of the tooth that was removed. If the tooth was infected than there is a possibility for gum disease or infection in the gum that may delay healing.
Statement of the problem: Delayed healing, or failure of the alveolus to heal post exodontia, is not an uncommon finding in both primary care and hospital practice. Local factors dominate and the majority of cases are the result of clot dissolution, secondary infection, foreign bodies, etc.
In most cases, the pain or discomfort should have subsided after 7 to 10 days. Even though people's pain threshold and healing are different, the pain and the discomfort should decrease each day. There should be little to no pain by the time you get to five days.
Dairy contains proteins that can encourage the growth of bacteria and increase the risk of infection. This is because dairy provides an ideal environment for bacteria to thrive, which can lead to swelling and discomfort in the gums and surrounding area.
Avoid any food that is sharp, scratchy or sticky (e.g. toffee, chewing gum). We advise sticking to a soft diet for the first 48 hours following your surgery.
Healing will continue for approximately one to two weeks after surgery. During that time, as much as possible, you should avoid chewing any food on the site of the extraction, so you won't disrupt healing. However, you can start to transition to most of your usually consumed foods, simply chew carefully.
Simple tooth extraction
The hole left after a tooth with a single root is extracted requires approximately seven days to close up. On the other hand, if the tooth has large roots embedded in the jaw, it will take long to recover. The gum is expected to close the tooth extraction hole in three weeks.
Tip #1: Salt Water Rinse
After a tooth has been removed, it is possible for small particles of food to be lodged in the socket. We recommend a gentle salt water rinse to clean the area that is healing and prevent food from getting caught. The salt water promotes healing and reduces the risk of complications.
The swelling can appear in the first 48 hours after surgery. It usually lasts for 5 to 7 days before getting better. This is a normal part of the healing process and does not mean that you have an infection.
Within a week the gums will start to heal and reattach to the roots of the teeth. The initial discomfort should be gone. Full recovery and reattachment can take up to 6 or 8 weeks, but patients are usually back to normal eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing within the first week.
Stitches. Stitches will dissolve by themselves and do not need removing, but it is important that 3–4 days after surgery you start brushing the sutures away to minimise food trapping. When the tooth is removed the roots leave a 'socket' in the bone. This hole in the gum may last for up to 3 months.
Firm, Pink Gum Tissue
To quickly check the condition of your gums tissue, glide a clean finger along your gums; if the gums are firm and painless to the touch, that's a positive sign. You should also pay attention to your tongue and the inside walls of your mouth, which should also be firm and pink as well.
Healthy gums should be pink and firm to the touch, but in the early stages of unhealthy gums or a worse gum disease (known as gingivitis), they can become red, swollen or, even painful.
A healthy socket will be a hole with a noticeable blot clot in the center. If your socket appears white in color, chances are you are seeing exposed bone and have lost the blood clot. In cases where bacteria or infection cause the clot to dissolve, you may see a socket that is black, green, or yellow in color.
Avoid rinsing the mouth, brushing near the extraction site, and eating foods that require chewing for at least 24 hours. Patients usually can resume tooth brushing and flossing on day 2 of recovery, but should refrain from brushing on the extraction site for the first three days to ensure your clot stays in place.
Avoid meat that is hard to chew such as beef, pork, and chicken for at least a few days. Instead, eat a flaky fish or tofu. A patient can also make a vegetable soup using his or her favorite veggies and spices. Some soups like potato and carrot, are delicious when one blends them, which is even easier to eat.