Removing stitches following oral surgery. –

Removing dental sutures (stitches).

This page outlines the steps a dentist uses when removing stitches placed following oral surgery. And as you’ll find out as you read, it’s typically a quick, easy and pain-free process.

When is this appointment scheduled?

In most cases, on the same day that your oral surgery is performed, your dentist’s staff will schedule a return visit for you for suture removal. The specific timing of this appointment What’s usual. can vary depending on the specifics of your procedure. You’ll simply need to follow through with the instructions you are given.

Not all kinds of stitches need to be removed.

With some procedures, your dentist may have chosen to place resorbable stitches. What to look for. If so, they’ll dissolve away on their own and will not need to be removed.

How this page is organized.

As a start for our topic, we first outline the procedural steps your dentist follows when taking out sutures. While viewing them, hopefully you’ll notice what a simple and quick process this typically is.

Then lower down on this page, we describe what the process is like for the patient. We answer things like what you’ll feel, will it hurt, what can be done if you do feel things, how long does the process take, etc…

DIY stitches removal.

As a final section, we discuss when, why and how this procedure might be performed on an at-home basis.

Although at-home removal is typically simple, we generally frown upon it since your dentist doesn’t get an opportunity to evaluate the healing progress of your wound. However, with scheduling difficulties, like those associated with the current COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, doing so may be appropriate.

How sutures are removed. – The procedure.

1) An anesthetic is not usually administered.

The process of removing stitches can be expected to be quite painless. And since that’s the norm, it’s rare that a dentist will administer an anesthetic beforehand.

2) The area will be cleansed with an antiseptic.

As a first step, your dentist will clean the tissue in the region where your stitches have been placed.

• If accessible and practical, they may dab or wipe the area with a piece of gauze that’s been moistened with hydrogen peroxide solution. (3% hydrogen peroxide cut 50:50 with sterile water.)
• Or they may have their patient swish with the hydrogen peroxide solution or else another antibacterial rinse. (The use of chlorhexidine, a prescription antibacterial mouthwash, is a common choice.)

While this step is generally considered a best practice, it’s effectiveness in preventing the introduction of bacteria into your wound, and therefore a need to perform it, is debatable. (Brown)

3) The suture will need to be lifted up.

4) The suture thread will be clipped.

Instead of right in the middle, they’ll clip the thread down close to the surface of your gums. (Doing so minimizes the length of contaminated suture thread that will ultimately need to be pulled through your tissues.)

5) The suture is pulled out.

• They’ll make sure to grab the end that has the suture’s knot, thus ensuring that it’s not the knot end that gets pulled (ripped) through your tissues.
• The motion they’ll use is a steady gentle pull. The loose end of the thread will pull on through your gums quite easily.
• As they pull, they’ll pull in a direction toward the wound.

  (Pulling up or away from the wound has the potential to place tension on it, which might result in reopening it.)

• Your dentist might further favor your wound by supporting it with their fingers, gauze or a dental instrument as they pull the suture thread out.

6) This process is repeated until all of the sutures have been removed.

• In the case of interrupted stitches (those that are individually placed and tied off), the above steps are repeated for each suture still left to remove.
• As mentioned above, the goal is always to pull as little suture thread through your tissues as possible. So in the case of continuous sutures (a series of stitches tied off using a single knot), each loop will be cut individually with that section then being removed.

7) The area is then cleansed again with an antiseptic.

▲ Section references – Modi, Atterbury, Brown, Dunn

Precautions to take following suture removal.

a) The wound left by your stitches.

Once your stitches have been removed, there will of course be some tiny holes that remain in your gum tissue.

The amount of bleeding associated with these openings should be very minimal and easily controlled. The tiny wounds should be of little inconvenience or concern. There should be no pain specifically associated with them.

Because the type of fresh lesion that’s left behind is so minimal, no special precautions are required for these openings and they can be expected to heal promptly.

b) Remember, you’re not fully healed yet.

It’s imperative for you to understand that even though your stitches have been taken out, your surgical site still hasn’t fully completed its healing process yet.

It will take a total of at least 4 to 5 weeks of healing before your gum tissue has reattached to its underlying bone as firmly as the adjacent tissues are. Stitches timeline. (Ask your dentist what time frame applies for your case.) So in the meantime, you must continue to favor and take precautions with your surgical area as its healing process continues.

Precautions.

In general terms, this means that over the near term you should continue to avoid testing your wound with extreme facial or mouth motions. And watch out for creating other types of tissue stress, like that that could occur if hard or crunchy foods were to find their way over the region.

What will you (the patient) experience during suture removal?

Things you probably will feel as your stitch is taken out.

• At the start of the process, you’ll likely feel a firm tug on your stitch as your dentist lifts it up with their tweezers so they can position their scissors to cut it.
• As they pull the suture thread through your gums, it’s not expected that you’ll feel anything. The thread should just glide through them.

Does getting stitches out hurt?

No, if you don’t squirm around and just stay still, you really shouldn’t feel anything at all except the little tug as each stitch is lifted up and cut.

And actually, if your stitches have sagged or loosened up any at all, you may not even feel that.

What if it does hurt?

If this is what you interpret, it’s probably because you’re confusing the sensation of pressure with pain. Or anticipate that feeling pressure means you will soon feel pain. (Both scenarios are extremely common in dentistry.)

Anyway, if you find you’re uncomfortable your dentist can apply a topical anesthetic. This is the same type of numbing gel that they rub onto gums before giving a shot.

With this application, the gel is simply rubbed onto the sutured area with a cotton swab (Q-tip). In a matter of minutes, it will produce its numbing effect and your procedure can be completed.

How long does it take to get stitches out?

The entire procedure, start to finish, is typically measured in a matter of a few minutes. Depending on the level of visibility and access the dentist has, cutting and pulling any one individual loop of suture thread out might run on the order of 5 to 10 seconds. This is a quick procedure.

Can you remove dental stitches by yourself?

The answer to this question is yes you can. But doing so without consulting with your dentist first seems to make a poor choice.

That’s because when a dentist removes stitches, they’ll also look to make sure everything looks correct and normal with your surgical area and evaluate how its healing has progressed.

As an example, and a worst-case scenario, it may be that when even just one stitch is clipped that your wound will start to separate.

And while your dentist won’t necessarily be able to predict if this will occur, if it starts to they’ll know how to manage the situation as effectively as possible.

Loose sutures.

We will concede that a patient removing a loose stitch on their own may be permissible. Justifications. But once again, preferably only after conferring with their dentist first.

COVID-19 / Treatment access considerations.

In light of the current Coronavirus pandemic, scheduling appointments for suture removal may be difficult. It’s your dentist’s obligation to provide the post-surgical care your case requires, so check with their office, they’ve probably already planned a way to provide this service.

However, don’t be surprised if they feel you can simply and competently perform this procedure yourself. However, it’s always best to confirm that you have their OK before proceeding.

At-home stitch removal.

If a DIY approach is deemed appropriate (sanctioned by your dentist), the instructions above can be followed.

• It seems obvious that for many locations in the mouth, self-removal may make a poor or impossible plan due to poor visibility, access or dexterity. If so, you may need someone else to actually perform your procedure.
• One difficulty you may have is finding a pair of scissors small enough for the job. Tiny sewing/embroidery scissors can make a good choice.
• The mouth is hardly a sterile environment. And in theory, the tools you use may not even come into contact with your person. However, they should be clean.

  Technically speaking, they should be boiled in water for 20 minutes before being used. In lieu of this, cleaning them with rubbing alcohol might reasonably suffice. Let your dentist provide you with an opinion.

• As you remove each stitch, it’s expected that you will see a drop of blood where its thread has come out of your gum tissue.

  But if you notice any more bleeding than that, and especially if you find that your wound has started to open up, you should stop what you are doing and contact your dentist.

Comments.

This section contains comments submitted in previous years. Many have been edited so to limit their scope to subjects discussed on this page.