Healing Process

The condition of gum tissues will improve in about 3-4 weeks after the surgery. Healing of bones takes up to 6 months. However, you will certainly not be in pain all this time as the pain should decrease starting from the second day after the procedure. The speed of the healing process is individual and depends on the surgery itself (whether it was an easy or a difficult one) and many other factors.

"A piece of bone coming out of the extraction site!"

Sometimes patients may feel the edge of the socket or some tiny bit of bone that is left after the surgery. You should not be afraid of that as it is absolutely normal. The bits of bone will some come out but if you feel discomfort or want to remove them quicker, you can turn to your dentist.

"What should I do if I am still in pain?" If during the first week or so after the surgery you feel pain that is gradually reducing, there is nothing to worry about. If you cannot stand the pain, ask your dentist to prescribe some stronger painkillers. In case you pain is getting stronger after two days, it makes good sense to see your dentist.

In most cases the reason of pain is the dry socket.

Dry Socket

Whenever the blood clot is dislodged or does not form, patients will have some problems with the dry socket. The worst thing about it is that the bone and the nerve endings are exposed to food, liquids and air. Dry socket can cause severe pain and delay the healing process.

If you suspect dry socket, it is better to ask your dentist to check it. If he finds out that the socket is dry, he will apply a special dressing to immediately relieve the pain. In some cases the damaged area may get infected. Then you will be prescribed antibiotics. At first it is necessary to change the dressing every day or two. Then you can do it not so often. You should also know that there are dressings that do not need to be changed. They will just dissolve after a certain period of time.

If you want to minimize the risk of dry socket, you should just follow the abovementioned recommendations.

The stitches are not dissolving

This often happens with the dissolving stitches. If after a certain period of time the stitches do not come out by themselves, you can ask your dentist to remove them. Many people believe that the process of removing stitches is very painful. However, it is not painful at all. You will not even need any numbing.

"The stitches were removed 10 days after the surgery so the dentist had to make some snips (6 to 8 snips for 13 extraction sites). Then he used a pair of tweezers to pull the stitches out. What I felt was definitely not pain but rather a tug. The whole procedure took a few second. The most remarkable thing about it is that all my fears were in vain. I felt no pain at all."

"It was just a small pinch. That was all I felt."
"It wasn`t painful at all. Just felt like a tug."
"What I felt was a tiny bit of tugging.