What Causes Small Irregularities After Wisdom Teeth Removal?
by Harold Coleman
Even though wisdom teeth extraction is a common dental procedure, it's still very important that you carefully follow the aftercare instructions provided by your dentist. You might have followed these instructions to the letter, which is why it can be unsettling to notice hard projections developing in your mouth following your extraction. What can be causing these projections around the extraction site, and are they anything to be worried about?
Small Surface Irregularities
These projections feel like small surface irregularities, and you will most likely notice them with your tongue. They're not growths or anything of this nature and are a byproduct of the extraction process.
A Relatively Common Side Effect
Firstly, these projections shouldn't be a cause for alarm. While not all patients will develop these projections, they're relatively common after having your wisdom teeth extracted. The sockets containing your wisdom teeth were supported by bony walls. Now that your wisdom teeth have been removed, these walls no longer have anything to support.
Bony Walls
With the removal of your wisdom teeth, the bony walls surrounding their sockets can reposition themselves, pushing into the gingival tissues around the site of the extraction. These are the hard projections you're feeling under your tongue, and they're harmless.
A Wait and See Approach
They're so harmless that your dentist might suggest that no further action will be needed. The projections will often disappear without the need for intervention, smoothing out as the site of the extraction settles. Few dental issues will go away by themselves, but these hard projections are one of them. Is it ever the case that they will require attention?
Removing the Source of Irritation
In rare cases, the hard projections can irritate your tongue. Even though this irritation will be minimal, it's not something you simply have to live with. If the projections don't go away of their own accord, your dentist can perform a simple procedure to remove them. This is a form of alveoloplasty, although the procedure might be delayed until the site of your wisdom teeth extraction has sufficiently healed.
These bony projections can develop in the days and weeks after your wisdom teeth have been removed if they develop at all. You might wish to report the issue to the dentist who performed your surgery, but they will likely advise you to wait and see if the issue will rectify itself. If not, it's simple enough to smooth these projections away.
To learn more, contact dental clinics that provide wisdom teeth extraction services.
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About Me
I have never liked my teeth. I had a lot of dental problems, including deep staining and oddly shaped teeth. Every tooth did not have the same shape, and some were rounded while others were more square. Not surprisingly, I never smiled in pictures and not even much in real life. This left people thinking I was mean before they even met me. My dentist told me my best bet to improve the look of my smile was a set of porcelain dental veneers. He said they could make all my teeth white and the same shape. I said I wanted them without any hesitation, and we scheduled my procedures. I love my new teeth, and they really did change my life. I created this blog to help other people living with teeth they don't like realize that they do have options that can improve their smiles and their lives.