Should the white stuff in recent extraction gum be cleaned out?

[SimonSays]

I had an extraction on Saturday and I can see this white deposit. I’m wondering if it’s infection or food that has got lodged there. can you make it out in the picture if you expand it? It was difficult to capture.

I’m doing regular salt washes but I’m wondering if I should help that white stuff to leave the area?

 

[Dr M]

Good day

Normally granulation tissue or scar tissue forms after an extraction. This can be white or yellowish in colour. This will gradually run pink as healing progresses.
If there is no pain, the socket should be left unhindered.

 

[esseff]

Thank you Dr M.

I am still having pain in my jaw though, roughly about an inch below the ear lobe. It is very painful when I chew, even gently (I chew on the other side and have been for some time as it has been like this for the last 7 weeks). The extracted tooth hadn't felt right since it was crowned/root filled 2 years ago, but it now seems that it was not the one causing the jaw pain. It was removed by an emergency dentist as I don't have a dentist so no time was taken to really understand what might be the underlying issue. The only other tooth left on the right bottom row now is a wisdom tooth. It seems a healthy tooth, no pain at all when I press, push, or tap on it. Could this tooth still be the cause of the jaw pain even though there are no other signs?

 

[Dr M]

Do you perhaps have any pre- or post x-rays you can share?

 

[SimonSays]

Unfortunately I don’t anymore. I did have a digital copy of the original X-ray and could see the wisdom tooth in the X-ray, as did 2 other dentists. I’d hope if there had been something about it that wasn’t right someone would have said something.

The extracting dentist did say in passing, when I described the pain and where it was that the tooth she was going to extract couldn’t be causing it. She never investigated further as her job was just to pull something out.