Why did my gums turn white after wisdom tooth removal? We invite you to make an appointment at our Dent Prestige clinic.

For many people, wisdom teeth have difficulty erupting because they do not have enough space in the jaw. In this case, dentists recommend removing them to prevent crooked teeth and other problems. Extraction of third molars is a complex operation that must be performed by a highly qualified dental surgeon.

After surgery, it is important to follow your doctor's recommendations.

For the first few days after surgery, you should not rinse your mouth or drink through a straw, as this may wash out the blood clot covering the wound.
Brush your teeth with a soft-bristled brush and eat only soft foods to avoid damaging the socket.
Minimize physical activity, do not visit the sauna or take a hot bath.
If the pain is severe, take painkillers. To relieve swelling, you can apply ice to your cheek.
Stop drinking alcohol and smoking.

It is important to monitor the wound remaining at the site of the extracted tooth until it heals completely.

What does the white coating mean?

Did you find that your gums turned white after wisdom tooth removal? There is no cause for concern as this is normal. White plaque may be on the hole and around it. The reason for its appearance is fibrin, a protein that ensures tissue regeneration. It performs several functions:

prevents bleeding,
closes the wound and protects it from bacteria,
helps reduce the diameter of the hole,
accelerates the resorption of a blood clot.

White plaque cannot be removed. Because of this, pain increases and the wound healing time increases. Damage to the protective film can lead to severe bleeding and infection of the socket.

Leukoplakia

You may be interested: 8 main enemies of tooth enamel

With oral leukoplakia, uniform white spots may appear on the gums. The cause of this condition is unclear, but alcohol, smoking and poor oral hygiene are suspected to be to blame. In most cases the condition is harmless, but sometimes it can become cancerous over time.

Possible complications

In rare cases, white gums after wisdom tooth removal may indicate the development of complications.

Alveolitis. Inflammation of the socket due to infection by pathogenic microorganisms. The causes of development include non-compliance with personal hygiene rules and doctor’s recommendations. The main clinical manifestations are throbbing pain, gray plaque on the wound, and swollen lymph nodes.
Periostitis. Inflammation of soft tissues and periosteum. Develops due to poor quality dental treatment and jaw injuries. It is a small growth on the gum that can be red, yellow or white.

Symptoms and treatment of leukoplakia -

Leukoplakia is characterized by the fact that under the influence of various irritants, keratinization of the epithelium of the oral mucosa begins to occur. This process occurs due to a violation of the desquamation of the epithelium in those areas of the mucous membrane that is exposed to pathological irritants. These irritants can be:

smoking,
sharp edges of carious teeth,
overhanging edges of fillings,
malocclusion,
excessive consumption of spices, very hot foods,
poorly manufactured removable dentures,
the presence of artificial crowns made of different metals on the teeth, which gives rise to galvanic currents in the oral cavity.

White spots on the gums with leukoplakia: photo

Symptoms of leukoplakia:

The main element of leukoplakia is a white plaque, which may rise above the level of the mucous membrane, but may not rise (as in Fig. 4). In addition, the plaque can have both clear and blurred boundaries. Patients most often call such plaques white spots. As a rule, white spots do not bother their owners and are discovered completely by accident.

In some cases, patients may be concerned about the roughness of the mucous membrane at the site of the white spot, as well as the fact that the mucosa in this place may rise above the level of the mucosa. In some cases, cracks and ulcers may appear on the surface of the stain; in this case, the patient may also be bothered by burning and pain. If leukoplakia develops as a result of smoking, then, as a rule, patients first of all complain of dryness and burning of the oral mucosa (24stoma.ru).

Treatment of leukoplakia will primarily involve eliminating exposure to the irritating factor. Those. it will be necessary to eliminate the impact of the overhanging edge of a filling or crown, replace old low-quality dentures, normalize oral hygiene, and of course, solve something with the effects of nicotine and hot dry air on the mucous membrane (which occurs when smoking).

Only after this are prescribed keratolytic agents for topical use (3-5-10% salicylic acid, celandine infusion), and vitamin therapy. Applying any treatment procedures without eliminating the causative factor will be useless.

The danger of leukoplakia –

Leukoplakia belongs to the category of precancers. Malignancy of leukoplakia, i.e. its transition to cancer occurs in 15-75% of cases (depending on its form). Therefore, if you do not want to develop cancer of the oral mucosa, you need to urgently go to the dentist and look for the cause of its appearance. But in the photo below you can see photos of two clinical cases when leukoplakia transformed into a malignant tumor of the oral mucosa and the red border of the lips.

Cases of cancer associated with leukoplakia –

When do you need a doctor's help?

If you experience pain 3-5 days after wisdom tooth removal, you should consult a specialist. Reasons to visit a dentist are also:

accumulation of pus in the wound,
bad breath,
increase in body temperature,
bleeding gums,
swelling of the lip or cheek,
pain when eating.

Don't expect unpleasant symptoms to disappear. Contact your doctor even if you experience minor oral discomfort.

Prevention of gum disease

Preventing a disease is easier than treating it, especially after the disease becomes chronic, so preventive measures are important to maintain the health of the gums and the entire oral cavity. Among them:

Daily hygiene, including actually brushing your teeth, using a special thread (floss) for interdental spaces, rinsing your mouth with refreshing solutions, and using tongue scrapers. Brushes, pastes and rinses are selected individually; may have a purely hygienic or therapeutic and prophylactic purpose (to reduce the sensitivity of the enamel, bleeding).
Periodic visits to the dentist - preferably every 6 months, if there are no complaints and the gums are healthy. In addition to a general examination and care recommendations, it is advisable to undergo a professional cleaning procedure by a dental hygienist. To eliminate dental plaque, a combination of manual (mechanical removal with curettes) and hardware techniques is used, the most popular of which are:

air-flow treatment – suitable for removing soft or small amounts of hard plaque. The enamel is exposed to a directed jet of a finely dispersed mixture of air, soda, and water under strong pressure. Used in children from 2.5 years old;

What does air flow look like?
ultrasonic cleaning – used to destroy hardened deposits, including those accumulated in gum pockets. It is produced by a device with a hook-shaped nozzle, through which ultrasonic vibrations are applied to the treated area, causing the destruction of plaque. Used in adults and children over 14 years of age.

Questions about prosthetics

Elena

2018-11-17 15:17:00

Hello! I have had temporary plastic crowns for a year and a half now, 8 teeth on the upper jaw and 5 below. The teeth are all cured, some have inlays. These crowns have already been removed and filed several times, the top one is already broken, they glued it together. The orthopedist is in no hurry to do his job, makes an appointment once every month and a half. About five months ago, I began to experience constant itching and a feeling of fullness in the upper jaw, in the place where the crowns are located. Two months ago, it became painful to press on the gum above one tooth, there was no redness as such, and until recently I had a rash on my wrists and elbows, it went away after taking enterosorbents. I have a general malaise and my lips are constantly dry, maybe it has nothing to do with the problem of my teeth. The doctor himself says that wearing plastic is very harmful and at the same time it’s dragging. the itching was bothering me. I have a question for you, is this an inflammatory process or what could it be? I read that plastic releases a monomer that has a toxic effect. What can be done in my case. Thank you if you don’t ignore my question

Shinberg Oleg Emilievich