Okay, so I had a bad dental experience last Thursday. I had to get my tooth taken out (twice). If you haven’t read about my agony (with some humor), you can read it here. And does anyone find it funny that they tell you NOT to put your tongue in the extraction hole….and yet….WHILE they are telling you that….the first thing you do is stick your tongue in there? lol
I’ve chronicled my ‘healing process’ in photos.
Forgive the yellowing on my teeth, I haven’t been able to brush as well near the extraction site. Btw, looking for a good oral surgeon in Northeast Ohio? Try Dr. Michael Hudec, in Middleburg Hts. He’s a credit to his profession. He fixed the mess that was left by the dentist. He has a clean office, is nice, friendly and most important….HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING. (which I’ve come to realize is, ummm, very important!)
DAY 2 (Day after extraction)
Most of the pain was from the 1st dentist who apparently was not experienced enough to pull this tooth and after pulling parts of it, decided to send me to an oral surgeon when she couldn’t get it all out.
I think one of the hardest things is not being able to blow my nose. Something to do with ‘negative pressure’ which can cause the blood clot inside the empty tooth socket to get blown out and creating a very painful dry socket. Apparently even though I was stuffed full with bone grafting material, I could still have this problem??
DAY 3
*Note: What is this white stuff? Is it possibly new tissue growth? It’s creepy. It feels like a weightless gel. Like, if you touch it with your tongue, it feels like ‘nothing’. Unless you look in a mirror as you touch it, it doesn’t feel like you’re actually touching anything.
DAY 4
The stitches are realllly annoying. You can sorta see one of them in the second pic here between the weird white stuff and the tooth above it.
Weird white creepy gel like stuff is ‘growing’ or getting larger in overall area (I think)
DAY 5
Looking better, feeling fine. You can see one of the stitches very well in these pics. I think that annoying little ‘ball’ is the end of the stitch….and in the second pic you can see a full stitch (and the ball at the end) running along side one of my teeth. NOTE: Where did all that creepy white stuff go? I went to bed, it was there. Woke up…gone. I checked on my pillowcase and it wasn’t there. hmmmmm. I think I swallowed it. YUCK! I no longer think this was new developing tissue, I’m pretty sure it was dead tissue. Which is even nastier if I swallowed it in my sleep. OMG.
Everyone is probably enjoying the fact that I still cannot yell. (which sucks, because I’m good at that)
DAY 6
Looks like I’m healing quite nicely if I do say so m’self! All 3 stitches are now visable. And that big ball on the end of the one stitch is more annoying than ever as it flaps a little as the swelling keeps going down. Still have a small bit of decomposition or whatever that funky stuff is…but I’m sure I’ll be digesting that in my sleep tonight. (Thank God I’m on a strong antibiotic or I would have all kinds of freaky visions, lol)
I'm Sheila. In addition to raising 1 husband and 3 teens, I've founded 
I had my back molar extracted two days ago, and also noticed this white stuff forming..Like most people I also became very worried that it might be an infection of some kind, but after reading your blog, you have just eased my mind ten folds, so thankyou so much Sheila
Now I just need the painkillers to kick in and I can go about my day like a normal human being, ha..
I looked for pictures of a healing extraction because I was afraid of the white stuff. Your gross tooth hole is still helping people, two years later. Thanks.
Thank you for this pictorial!!! I just had two teeth removed(bottom left molar and wisdom). I was starting to get worried that I had dry socket until I saw the same white stuff in your pics that I’m quickly developing. Glad to see it looks like part of the normal healing process. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Yep- like the hundredth person here about the white stuff– LOL thanks for the pics! Glad to know I am not dying or have dry socket!!! Thanks!
I am almost cracking up here – one more person, saying “thank you, Sheila”, years later! I’m on day three of recovery.. and being a smoker, a female in the middle of my cycle, having an infection at the site at the time of extraction, and just having dental phobia in general.. I have been so terrified of getting dry-socket and feel like I’ve been reading anything and everything online to try and get some peace of mind, but most everything has made me even MORE paranoid until I came across your post. Let me tell you I am dying for a smoke, but after reading so many horror stories I think I can urely hold off a few more days! The pictures were very helpful, as well as reading everyone else’s reponses and knowing that it’s very common to be nervous after the procedure, alwys nice to know we’re not alone and “going to be OK”.
Thank you for posting this. I was getting concerned about the same white buildup after getting my wisdom teeth removed. I actually thought it was food at first and tried a little too hard to rinse it out until I started to suspect it might be some leftovers from the surgery. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Mine doesn’t look like that, but I am very glad you posted this. Thank you.
THANKYOU soooooo much i was also so worried when i saw the white stuff paniced thinking i hadfood stuck in there a great post agree the dentist should tell people what to expect….maybe the salt makes the blood clot go white? best post award for the year!!!!
As the crowd of commenters indicates, you did all of us curious mirror-and-flashlight folks a great service by posting the daily pictorial of your healing. Do dentists just think we wont look? Or do they not realize we have very litte experience watching a healthy mouth wound heal. Like many, I was unprepared for what I saw in my own mouth. Thanks for sharing!
sheila Reply:
July 9th, 2011 at 4:54 am
@Taylor,
I agree, I often wonder why they just don’t send us home with a pamphlet of how things “might” look, lol. I think they charge enough money that they could throw a little pamphlet (with pics of this kind of stuff) in with the copy of the bill and the aftercare instructions.
Ack! I just had my wisdom teeth yanked out and I searched tooth extraction healing photos….glad I found your site. I got the white goop in my hole too and it freaked me out….glad I’m not the only one
Boy oh boy, if you had a dollar for every thank you or words of gratitude in response to your blog … cha ching! I should have just searched for “white stuff” and I would have found your site even sooner. It’s good to know that not everything regarding tooth extraction on the internet is a horror story. Sheila, you are the queen of “white stuff” and a tooth extraction celebrity!!!
I also have white stuff 3 days after extraction. Absolutely terrified of getting dry socket so telephoned dentist yesterday and nurse said it should be ok !! why cant they tell me what it should look like. Becoming neurotic now. Anyways thank god I found your blog. Mine looks very like yours. Thank you. !!!
Thank you so much for this blog haha! So many people have commented, it’s amazing we’re not told about what to expect, but this has definitely put my mind at ease about the “white stuff”
Thank you so much. I thought I was about to go insane! I had my bottom right wisdom tooth pulled on Thursday and I felt like I was in a horror movie “The Dentist.” I was given the needle and N20. Yesterday I noticed the white stuff but today I saw more of it along with the pain that I had before it got extracted. However the pain has been feeling like its coming from the top teeth. Is it possible for the pain to come from another area or could be it be another tooth that I’m having a problem with? The on call dentist is not answering the phone. SMH
sheila Reply:
July 24th, 2011 at 9:32 am
@Adriane,
I experienced the same thing with the pain. I was told that pain can effect other teeth near the extraction, like the teeth above the extraction or below if it was the top tooth taken out. I wouldn’t worry about it and if it’s still bothering you in the am you should call and ask the dentist. I’m not an expert but it sounds normal. Sorta like when the air pressure (barometer) is high or low… we can feel that in certain teeth as pain/pressure. It’s just what nerve is taking the brunt of the pressure.
Thanks Sheila, I really hope thats the reason. I just took a vicodin because I’m have so much pain in my ear and head as well. I was feeling like this before the tooth extraction.
sheila Reply:
July 24th, 2011 at 9:55 am
@Adriane,
One of these days I’m going to post a pic of the nerves that run along in the mouth and jaw. Google it for now though and you’ll see that any pressure on these is going to effect the areas they are near (sinuses, ears, teeth, gums)
I can also tell you that I experience that ear/head/tooth pain and pressure anytime a front is coming. I laugh because I can predict fronts coming when they are like 200 miles away. I put a barometer up in my livingroom for peace of mind, lol. When the needle is on either side of 30 and I am experiencing something I chalk it up to the barometric pressure. (low or high pressure). I suffer with this mostly between November and April. And it’s for weeks at a time because the fronts are coming in so often. Again in the summer but not as much. Follow the barometer and I bet it will ease your mind. It’s just that pressure on the nerves, that’s all. Nothing is really going to help much, you’ll just have to live with it. And it’s easier to live with when you know you are not sick or needing a tooth pulled or root canal, lol. When you understand it’s just the weather affecting your nerves, it’s easier to cope with.
Okay now Im starting to see a little green on the area. Could this be an infection??
My first thought would be, “do you have stitches” it could be those. Also could just be the tissue around. If you had an infection I don’t think it would be green and I’d bet you’d be in tremendous pain. Take a pain pill, watch a movie and relax. And don’t look in your mouth! lol
)
I had what was left of a molar extracted three days ago, and I also have that nasty white puss in my mouth. It smells and tastes bad also. My husband thought that I probably had an infection, but after seeing your pics, my mind is at ease. Thanks so much for posting this, it has helped so many people!
Thank you for the pictures…I am on day 3 and your pictures have comforted me that I am healing ok. Thank you!
great pictorial very helpful, its been about 4 days and i noticed that there was alot of white covering the area and i was a little worried so i started looking online for what a normally healing socket would look like after a couple days and wallah i see this is something normal in the process and not an infection
Best site on the internet !! Another one worried about the white stuff and found your site – Total relief
I am going on vacation next week and was terrified my tooth hole was infected LOL – Thankyou
thank you for posting all of this. I thought something was wrong with me when I saw the white covering. Glad to see it is not just me
Thank you so much for the pictures!! Really needed to see that. I thought I was getting an infection! You really helped
Thank you for the pictures. Its been 76 hours since I got #17 removed and the white stuff is so gross and taste awful. The smell is driving me nuts. I have some pain but NSAIDS help. Searched the internet and this is the only site that helped. i was totally freaking out and preparing to go to the dentist first thing in the morning. I guess I can wait ’til my appointment and Monday. I would really like some spicy food though,
I had the last 5 teeth pulled 4 months ago .I quit smokeing about same time but did smoke right after teeth were pulled. upper gums are slimey and smooth as glass and makes upper lip numb. gum is gritty too causes heat
Just had 16 and 17 pulled 2 days ago. Like everyone else, I looked all over the net until I found this one, and the pictures really help to tell the story. Thank you, Sheila, for starting this blog. I’m going to show my dentist this site and see if he will consider adding this info to his “after care sheet of instructions.” Reading the dentist’s comments on here that she didn’t realize patients ever saw the “white stuff,” in addition to all the responses here, I think it’s important that we all let our dentists know the fear this white stuff brought on to so many people, and that patients always do better if they know what to fully expect, whether it’s possible to have this issue or not.
sheila Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
@Donna,
I know! I can’t understand why they wouldn’t include a photo of the white stuff in aftercare instructions, lol. I mean really, come on… it’s obvious it’s a concern! People all over the world comment on this photo, so it’s definitely an issue. Seems silly that don’t don’t even mention it! just goofy.
thank you so much for posting those pics it put my mind more at ease after a monster tooth was removed, still gonan double check with dentist cause it looks funky
but thanks
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The white coating is normal. It’s the blood clot, which looks like that after the saliva has leached out the red blood cells. The smell is the natural consequence of organic clot material fermenting in a warm, moist environment, which favors putrefaction. This is likewise normal, and will fade as healing proceeds.
i found this info off a site cause i had a tooth pulled and wandered about the white stuff too, and my gums look all cut up or the salt water is too strong or something that i have been rinsing with. my teeth also feel wierd when i bite down on the side of the extraction, they feel soft or sticky, and i have brushed them so it’s not that.
sheila Reply:
August 31st, 2011 at 6:33 pm
@jenn,
Thanks for the info, that’s very interesting! As you can see, this is a problem spanning the globe… the white stuff, lol. Freaky stuff.
Finally someone with some answers!! Thank you! I wish the dentist would have told me this would happen so I didn’t freak out and rinse my mouth for 30 minutes thinking I had food stuck in the site!! Not looking forward to swallowing said “white stuff” but I am sure glad that it seems to be the norm!
Thank you for posting these picture, I was really starting to think that the white stuff was either an infection or that some of my tooth had been left behind, so then I was thinking, oh well it can stay there, coz Im not going through that again! Shame the dentist doesnt tell you this. Mine was great by the way.
Thank you for your postings. I had my bottom back molar removed yesterday and the last time I looked at it, it looked like dark blood. This morning I woke up with the white stuff and it freaked me out. I feel much better now. I just have a really bad jaw and headache. I’m glad it’s Friday!
The worst part of getting it pulled was when the dentist yanked on my tooth really hard and the metal instrument slammed into all my other teeth, and at the same time my lip was being pinched between everything going on. Oh yeah…and the long string that he was stitching me up with. After the first stitch went through, I could feel the cold wet string slide against my face and I almost passed out. I turned the ipod speakers to the maximum volume and tried to think of happy thoughts.
I’m just glad it’s over. Toothless…but over.
sheila Reply:
October 14th, 2011 at 11:41 am
@Jill,
Lol! I’m glad it’s over for you too, I’ll tell you it’s amazing how much trauma one tiny piece of bone can cause isn’t it? Crazy!
Hi, thanks for the post, had top back molar out 3 days ago and only just looked at it to see how it’s going cause can feel part of the flap and thought I’d check it out, then saw the white stuff near my gum and freaked out lol so went in google mode and found this which has put me at ease, thanks again
Here’s what one dentist said on another website:
“You are doing fine. The white tissue you describe is often just the surface cells around an extraction socket dying off. That is totally normal.
Just keep up the warm salt water rinses to keep it all clean and you should do well.”
sheila Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
@Skye,
That’s wonderful! This is the first time anyone’s mentioned finding any mention of the white stuff online, so thanks for leaving a message here! I wonder if it’s the same dentist that left a comment on here awhile back, lol ;o) Wouldn’t that be funny? Thank you again!!
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Day 3 for me. Had lower right 2nd molar pulled after years of pain. It was split & so was not an easy extraction as it broke into more fragments. I went to an oral surgeon & he was a big strong type. I swear I expected him to put his knee on my chest to get it out. Gruesome I tell ya.
At almost exactly 36 hours I was awakened by excruciating pain; after the initial panic I thought the time was no coincidence. 3 ibuprofen & back to sleep. Tonight after dinner I brush my teeth, salt water rinse & there’s the white stuff: convinced it’s food i touch it with a qtip & the cotton turns pink. Stop. More saltwater, google & thank you very much for posting these pics.
Thanks also for the nerve/pressure pain info. That makes sense.
Other tidbits: extracting a tooth exposes the bone, that clot is the bone’s only protection. If the clot comes out you have to get the socket packed by the dr. Bits of rejected bone can start to emerge, normal.
I found this very helpful:
“Amler and colleagues found that after extraction a blood clot filled the socket. After 7 days, the clot was replaced with granulation tissue. After 20 days, the granulation tissue was replaced by collagen, and bone began forming at the base and the periphery of the extraction socket. At 5 weeks, Amler estimated that on average two-thirds of the extraction socket had filled with bone. Epithelium was found to require a minimum of 24 days to completely cover the extraction socket, with some extraction sites requiring up to 35 days to completely cover the socket.”
sheila Reply:
October 19th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
@Nita,
I’ve had a dry socket (actually 4 of them) when I had my wisdoms out as a teen. OMG the incredible pain. I never knew the actual *reason* behind the dry socket, so thanks for commenting, that is good info!
Add me to the list on here that is so grateful for the pictures! Had my molar removed yesterday around 4pm, then noticed this morning that there was some white stuff on it, freaked me out, lol. Now that I know it’s not infected and is supposed to be there I will make sure not to mess with it. Thanks
thank you very much, just had my bottom molar and front tooth pulled out, and didn’t hear about the white stuff either, mine was pretty good, but I always had a problem with high acid, so I got really sick on day 2(cookies up), then looking at the tooth in the mirror a few times, thought better google it
Thursday Oct 27, 2011, and still in pain. Molar extracted, and I removed white sticky patch that layed over the extration , it gave me some relief,have been in pain before and after. Pain medication, tyneol with codeine or vicodin gave me migrain, so its either gave molar pine or migrain and it is continues. I don’t how much one can stand.
sheila Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 3:52 pm
@Norma,
You should probably call your dentist right away. Intense pain could very well mean dry socket. That needs to be seen.
I meant to say molar pain or migraine. error in writing.
Glad I found this. I just read every single comment on here because I am one of those people who worry themselves sick. Ive had the white stuff before and luckily my dentist called me a day or two after extraction and I told him about the white stuff and he said it was fine so I never worried about whitey. What I am worrying about now is that it’s been 2 days well maybe 3 days and the white stuff that has taken over my extraction site is starting to wrinkle up and fall off so I’m freaking thinking its going to fall off and I’m going to develop dry socket. I can’t find any info and I wish I could put my mind at ease. I hear the horror stories I’m scared to death of dry socket!!! Aahhhh!!!
sheila Reply:
November 5th, 2011 at 7:37 am
@DD,
As long as you are following the aftercare instructions you should be fine. Sounds like you are nearly a week from your extraction so I wouldn’t worry too much. One day you… like me … will wake up and find that you swallowed that stuff in your sleep, lol. You’ll see how nicely you are healing and you’ll be fine. You do not mention pain so that is a very good thing!
The white stuff is your scab…your blood clot. It’s supposed to be there, if it weren’t that’s when you would need to be scared. Without it you have dry socket and that requires further work. Have you ever gone swimming with a scab of any sort? It turns white and gooey, that’s what a scab looks like when it’s wet…lol.
Oh my gosh this is a God send!thank u so much Shelia! After many tears (I totally hate the dentist) I had a molar removed yesterday
and then today I look at it and theres all this white stuff..I almost fainted thinking it was the bone on show *blushes* but seeing ur pics (and seeing it looked like mine) im totally reassured thanks so much!x
So glad to see these pics and read the comments – I am now reassured that my 2 day old extraction site is healing and not turning into some vile infection that will cause further problems. It seriously looks like pus. Why don’t they tell you anything? My dentist told me not to exercise, smoke, drink via straws or rinse for 24 hours but that was it – so I did some heavy lifting and also did spit as my mouth filled with blood a few times. He did not say a single word about dry socket.
Pictorial is still helping others. Thank you!
Well on day 7; after 7 months of second from back lower molar, refilled on holiday – then root canal part one started, flew home week later for final root canal part (mid Aug 11) – with plan for crown in new year – plan gone wrong. Pain again following root canal, throbbing/ache. Agreed to extract after so much trauma over 6 months. Extraction 7 days ago – hole now covered in ‘white stuff’; taken a while to get here tho, hopefully this is normal and healing ok. But, still have pain/aching, saw dnetist yesterday, he put me on metronidazole anti b and pain killers for another week. Fingers crossed. How can it still hurt when no nerve, no roots and no tooth! he didnt feel dry socket had occurred either. But possible lower down infection as can feel sensitive area under right jaw line. Any comments welcome. Been so fed up with tooth trauma – taken over my life with pain!
sheila Reply:
December 6th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
@Sam,
Well, I am certainly not a dentist and not qualified to give advice, but I’ve been to the dentist and have experienced similar circumstances. Did he give you antibiotics? Hopefully so if he thinks there could be an infection. Otherwise, I know people who’ve had extractions and have been fine in a day or so, and others who have pain for over a week and then get better. I would*guess* that things factor in like the trauma of the whole experience (on your mouth) along with the nerve which might be sore, maybe even the barometric pressure outside is just coincidentally affecting your head/mouth.
I would say to try and relax, sit tight and follow the instructions they gave you post-op. I bet you’ll feel better in a few days. With all the trauma your mouth has been through, it might just be only that. Soreness. Certainly call the dentist back if you still don’t feel better in another day or so.
Good Luck to you!
The ‘white stuff’ you see is your white blood cells gathering at the wound site to try and form a clot. It’s actually a good thing if you see that as it shows you have formed a clot and are on the way to a less painful mouth!
Thank you Sheila! I realize many have posted thanks before me…mine being almost 3 years after you posted this, but I had to say Thanks. After 3 months of ear, jaw and neck pain and visits to my dentist, endodontist and an ENT, all telling me they can’t find anything wrong with me…oh and a root canal I think to shut me up, I finally went to a periodontist who extracted tooth #19. I am still having pain, but ear ache and neck pain are almost gone, so I think #19 may have been the culprit. Periodontist did find infection at the root. Anyway, I had it extracted this past Thursday and while examining my mouth with flashlight in hand, I saw the white stuff all over extraction site. Scared the crap out of me. I thought, oh no here we go again. Started to search for pics of normal healing and found your blog!! Thank goodness. I needed some good news for once. Seeing your pics, and reading what others posted calmed my nerves. So again I thank you!
Thanks so much for the post. I got a tooth pulled a couple days ago & started noticing this white stuff. I was worried it was an infection.
Thanks so much for the pictures. I kept looking of what pulled molar should look like if it didn’t have dry socket and couldn’t find a friggin thing. I freaked out on the teenagers this afternoon before stumbling on your site. Thank you so much for the pics! Apparently, the kids aren’t too scared to return home.
sheila Reply:
December 11th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
@Darcie,
LOL, yes, pretty easy to do with teens. hahahaha
Glad you stopped by!
thanks for the pics. I just had a #19 molar extracted and was wondering if it was healing properly due to the abscess I had before getting it extracted. I just wanted to be sure. thanks again!