See Emergency Dentist for Bleeding 1 Month After Extraction?

I’m wondering if I should schedule an appointment with an emergency dentist. I had four teeth extracted about a month ago. Three of them seemed to come out really easily for the dentist, but the last one was difficult for sure. I just remember him messing with it for ages and then when he finally got it out, there was this loud crack. I never asked about it, but I’m pretty sure it broke because he spent another 10-15 minutes digging around after that. Anyway, everything has seemed pretty normal since then. I took that day and the next day off work and was back to my normal routine. I’ve been eating ok and everything. No pain anymore or anything. Anyway, I was brushing my teeth tonight and I when I spit, I noticed there was a lot of blood, which is weird because I haven’t had any at all since the first day or so, and it seems to be coming from the space the difficult tooth came from. I’m worried something is wrong. Do I need to see an emergency dentist or just watch it?

Thanks,

Jordyn

Dear Jordyn,

No need to schedule an appointment with the emergency dentist just yet. You didn’t say which teeth you had extracted, but it sounds like it could have been molars, particularly your wisdom teeth. It can take a considerable amount of time before those heal up all the way.

Extraction sites tend to close up from the outside in, and then start filling up. In other words, the outer edges of the tissue will begin to develop new tissue, and that will continue until it closes, and then for months afterward, the bone and tissue inside the space will continue to fill in. By about the middle of the first month, the new tissue is very vascular, as your body is working hard to heal it up. That also means that it’s still fairly susceptible to trauma. If you catch it with a toothbrush, for example, it would bleed a bit. That, along with your saliva, can make it seem like there’s a whole lot of blood being lost.

It sounds like you’re about at the point where this should have stopped by now, and the area should look closed from the outside, but everyone heals differently. Plus, if you have conditions like diabetes or you smoke, your healing timeline will be slower. A little red in the sink right now probably isn’t cause for concern, provided that’s your only symptom. However, you should be on the lookout for other issues.

Call the Emergency Dentist If…

• The bleeding doesn’t stop
• You continue to have bleeding spells
• You experience pain
• You have any signs of infection, such as swelling, a fever, or drainage from the site

This blog is sponsored by Elgin Emergency Dentist, Dr. Steve Sirin.