Post-tooth extraction healing - How long does it take?

After you've had your tooth pulled, how long does the healing take?

Once the extraction process has been completed, you'll no doubt be wondering how much time the healing process will take.

We've broken up our explanation of this subject into the following time frames: The initial 24 hours after a tooth extraction and weeks 1 & 2 and 3 & 4.

This page also outlines the time frame involved with bone tissue healing and discusses how a person's extraction site healing will affect the planning of their subsequent dental treatment.

A) The initial 24 hours following your tooth extraction.

At that point in time just 24 hours after having had your tooth removed, you really won't be able to visualize all that much in terms of extraction site healing. However, you should notice that the bleeding from your wound has stopped and, hopefully, the level of discomfort associated with it has started to subside.

You'll probably find that the region immediately adjacent to the tooth's empty socket is tender when touched and feels irregular and different to your tongue. It's also possible (especially in the case of an involved or difficult extraction) that you'll find some level of swelling has formed in the tissues that surround your extraction site (including into your face). If so, this swelling should peak within the next 24 hours and then start to subside.

In regards to appropriate activities, for uninvolved tooth extractions, at this point in time (24 hours plus), returning to non-strenuous, routine activities (going to an office job, attending class, shopping) should present no problem. If you have more aggressive or involved activities in mind, either for now or even the next several days, you should clear them with your dentist.

B) Extraction site healing - Weeks 1 and 2.

During the first two weeks after your extraction, you should find that the gum tissue surrounding your extraction site has completed a significant amount of healing. As a point of reference, it's usually considered that enough gum tissue healing has taken place by days 7 through 10 that stitches (if placed) can be removed.

Especially toward the end of this time frame, you should find that your extraction site really isn't much of a problem or bother to you. However, the point to which the healing process will have been able to progress will be influenced by the initial size of the wound (wider wounds require a greater amount of healing time to close).

It is important to realize that the tissue that initially forms during the healing process is quite vascular in nature (contains a large number of blood vessels). So, if you inadvertently traumatize it (like with food or while brushing), you can expect it to bleed easily. You can also expect this newly formed tissue to be tender when accidently touched or prodded.

C) Extraction site healing - Weeks 3 and 4.

By the end of the 3rd to 4th weeks after your tooth extraction, most of the soft tissue healing will have taken place. You'll probably still be able to see some at least some degree of indentation in your jawbone corresponding with the tooth's original socket. And this dimple may persist for even some months. But for the most part the tissue in the area of the extraction site will be smooth, pink and healed over.

You may notice that the new gum tissue that has formed has some initial tenderness, such as when traumatized by hard foods. But this trauma is not likely to result in bleeding.

D) Bone tissue healing.

When you have a tooth 'pulled,' it's the healing of your jaw's bone tissue that takes the greatest amount of time. In general, it takes on the order of 6 to 8 months for new bone to substantially fill in the tooth's empty socket space.

During the initial weeks of the healing process it will be easy for you to see and feel a pronounced 'hole' in your jawbone corresponding with the extracted tooth's socket. Then, as continued weeks and months go by, this hole will become more and more narrow and shallow, until it finally becomes just a dimple and then finally evens out with the surrounding bone tissue.

Don't expect that you'll be incapacitated, or even inconvenienced, during this 6 to 8 month time period required for bone healing. For the most part, the events taking place will be little noticed by you.

Some tooth sockets require special cleaning during the healing process.

It is possible (especially with larger teeth such as extracted molars), that not initially but during the early-to-mid weeks of bone tissue healing the tooth socket will be deep enough that food and debris will accumulate in it. This debris can interfere with the healing process (delay its progress), as well as affect the quality of your breath.

The solution for situation is to periodically flush the socket out. Dentists call this type of tooth socket cleaning 'irrigation.'

Socket irrigation involves the use of an 'irrigating' syringe, which is just at plastic syringe that has a curved plastic tip instead of a needle. The idea is that the syringe is loaded with saline solution (or water). The tip of the syringe is then placed at the opening of the tooth socket and the syringe is gently expressed so its fluid gently floats the debris up and out of the socket.

Go ahead and make plans with your dentist to replace your missing tooth.

The fact that it takes as long as 6 to 8 months for the bulk of the jawbone healing process to take place doesn't mean that you have to wait that long until your tooth's space can be filled using some type of dental restoration or appliance.

It's true that with many types of restorations (dental bridges, partial dentures, some types of dental implants) there typically is a healing 'wait' period that must be adhered to for best results. (Although, it will likely be on the order of 1 to just a few months, as opposed to the 6 to 8 months healing time referenced above.) But even if this wait period applies, there should be some type of temporary dental prosthesis that your dentist can place for you to wear until that point in time when your jawbone's healing has advanced enough that a permanent one can be made.