What Causes Pain In The Gums After Tooth Extraction?

Posted on Wed, 19 Jul 2017

Question: Hello! A little over two months ago, my dentist pulled an upper wisdom tooth for me. The extraction went well, the tooth had been fully erupted, and came out in one piece. The healing process went well. Over the last week, I've noticed that the inner part of the gum where the tooth was extracted is sore, and when I looked in my magnifying mirror I saw that there is a whitish protrusion in the spot. When I rub over it with my tongue it is quite sore. When I touch it with my finger it does feel somewhat hard. I am attaching two images... The spot is behind the last molar, to the right.

I read that sometimes a piece of the tooth or bone can come off after an extraction and make its way to the gum area. Do you feel it could be this, or something else? Should I follow up with my dentist right away, or wait to see what happens?

Thank you!!

Answered by Dr. Honey Arora (43 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Looks like a sore.

Detailed Answer:
Hi..
Thanks for the query..

I have examined the images that you have sent and according to it, it is appearing like a small sore.

If the tooth has come out completely in one shot then it can probably be due to any sharp elevation of bone that might be hitting against the gum in that area making it sore..

So it is advisable to have a clinical examination done by your Dentist and if it is sharp bone then it has to be trimmed off to avoid further discomfort and let the gum heal..

For now to avoid making it hurt you, do not touch it repeatedly and you can apply numbing gel containing Lignocaine..

Hope this helps..

Regards.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Remy Koshy