So about a week ago, I had five teeth removed in one go: a wisdom tooth, two molars, and two pre-molars, the left damaged in a previous bit of dentistry and the right impacted. Both pre-molars were baby teeth. Now, the right feels like a literal hole in my gum, and the left is full of some white-ish, soft stuff that won't come out; at first I thought it was food, but now I'm not sure. The right one aches more than the other. Which, if either, is one I should be worried about?
×
4 Reasons Why Ask DoctorBase™ is the Most Efficient Way to SEO and Establish Your Brand Online
- Ask DoctorBase™ is a free service for patients on the DoctorBase platform - currently servicing over 6 million American patients of record.
- All answers submitted by healthcare professionals (you) are for entertainment purposes only and do not constitute doctor-patient relationships. All patients must agree to this before using Ask DoctorBase™.
- Our software and our Marketing Engineering staff review each answer and optimize your answers for keywords valuable to your specialty. It is a well kept secret that doctors (you) - not SEO consultants - are the ones who have the most valuable content prized by search engines. Ask DoctorBase™ "unlocks and optimizes" your content in the most efficient manner possible with today's technology.
- Finally, the doctor who provides the most popular answer - "the Featured Answer," gets an added benefit by allowing patients to write rave reviews about your expertise - reviews that are submitted to both Google and Google Local through our Preferred Data Provider relationship.
Ask Dr. Molly if you have questions or want a personal session on how to best use Ask DoctorBase™ for maximum marketing impact.
Had Teeth Removed One Week Ago; Two Sockets Feel Very Different
Find low drug prices at local & online pharmacies
Featured Answer
4 UpVoted this answer
If I had to guess, the one on the right which has a hole in it, is likely a dry socket. If it is uncomfortable, go see the doctor who removed it, and they will pack with medication for almost instant relief. The left sounds like a normally healing extraction socket.
3 UpVoted this answer
The whitish material is likely the wet scab your mouth produces when a too is extracted. So far you observations are all within normal limits. If you start in again with an increase in pain and swelling or you your breath changes. Then you should worry. Otherwise you should see your dentist again for a follow up visit soon after so many teeth were extracted.
I hop this was helpful.
I hop this was helpful.
3 UpVoted this answer
The "white" stuff that you're referring too in all likeliness is the way the socket gum tissue looks in the early healing stages. We refer to it as granulation tissue. It doesn't look pretty, but it's normal for that to happen.
It's important to understand "All teeth are not created equal". Different teeth will recover in different ways. The differences you feel in the sockets has a lot to do with the shape of the jaw bone underneath. With bigger teeth you may feel a bigger hole in the gum following an extraction. Teeth that are more difficult to remove may lead to more discomfort during healing. In your case taking out 5 teeth at once is a lot. The more teeth you remove at once the more likely you'll have prolonged discomfort afterwards. It's challenging enough for patients to manage one extracted tooth.
For better healing and to minimize the risk of an infection I insert what's called a socket preservation bone graft any time I do an extraction. They're primarily intended to preserve the socket jaw bone, but they do prevent debris from getting into the socket- and the even assist hastening the healing of the gum tissue over the socket. In my opinion it should be standard of care to cover in a socket after a tooth has been extracted.
It's important to understand "All teeth are not created equal". Different teeth will recover in different ways. The differences you feel in the sockets has a lot to do with the shape of the jaw bone underneath. With bigger teeth you may feel a bigger hole in the gum following an extraction. Teeth that are more difficult to remove may lead to more discomfort during healing. In your case taking out 5 teeth at once is a lot. The more teeth you remove at once the more likely you'll have prolonged discomfort afterwards. It's challenging enough for patients to manage one extracted tooth.
For better healing and to minimize the risk of an infection I insert what's called a socket preservation bone graft any time I do an extraction. They're primarily intended to preserve the socket jaw bone, but they do prevent debris from getting into the socket- and the even assist hastening the healing of the gum tissue over the socket. In my opinion it should be standard of care to cover in a socket after a tooth has been extracted.
3 UpVoted this answer
It sounds like you have not been seen since surgery. That said, did you have a SCHEDULED followup appointment? If not, see someone else. All too often patients have invasive dental surgery and are dismissed with no followup. ALL wounds need to be inspected within a week of their creation, including wounds associated with tooth removal. The only way to know if healing is progressing normally is by someone inspecting it. "Guessing" what is going on with it "could be" is not in your best interest and can be dangerous.
1 UpVoted this answer
The most common complication related to an extraction is a dry socket, this most often happens when we get a little too excited about rinsing and cleaning the extraction area. What happens is that we often wash the clot out. Now the bone socket has to heal without the clot that was supposed to cover it and make healing possible. Don't rinse any more, very gentle brushing. If it does not improve in a few days you could be developing an infection. If symptoms get worse see your dentist.
Probably neither. To have soreness after multiple extractions is common, and one could be more sore than another for various reasons, such as the possibility it a more difficult extraction. The "white stuff" is probably residual clot, and is OK. However, if you have doubts or concerns, by all means return to the person who did the extractions and make sure everything is healing properly. If you have swelling, bleeding, bad taste or odor, or increasing pain, then you should absolutely have it checked ASAP.
Alveolar osteitis, commonly known as dry socket, can develop after a tooth ,especially wisdom teeth, is extracted. After multiple extractions like this you should have a follow-up appointment with you oral health care professional or dentist. Dry socket occurs normally within the first few days after an extraction. This occurs with the clot comes of the area and the hard and soft tissue can't heal properly. You should contact the provider that extracted the teeth and have a follow-up appointment to make sure the extraction sites are healing properly.