How Long Does It Take The Hole To Close After Tooth Extraction (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 3 to 4 months

When a person decides to go for tooth extraction, it is obvious that there would be a temporary gap or hole between the teeth. This hole is sure to take at least a month to close, although, complete healing may take a couple of more months.

There may be various reasons to go for a tooth extraction. However, the overall reason for any tooth extraction is the general betterment of oral hygiene. A person has the option to opt for either simple tooth extraction or surgical tooth extraction in that case.

How Long Does It Take The Hole To Close After Tooth Extraction?

Healing is a time-consuming process. It needs an ample amount of time and the entire process can be divided into various phases based upon the symptoms faced in that phase of recovery.

As soon as the tooth is extracted from its pace, it leads to bleeding. However, with a passing timespan, the bleeding stops because the blood cut develops with time on the site of extraction. This phase takes place within a period of twenty-four hours after tooth extraction.

A few weeks after the tooth extraction, the gums will start to close off the hole created in this process. This stage takes about one to three weeks and is characterized by frequent bleeding of gums.

In the next few weeks, the site of tooth extraction will be almost covered by new gum tissues. Although the site is not completely healed and it can be easily noticed as it shows a noticeable indent. This phase of healing takes place after five to six weeks of tooth extraction and reaches its peak at the tenth week.

The hole at the extraction site gets completely filled and healed within three to four months of tooth extraction. There is no indentation and even the hole in the tooth socket gets healed in four months.

Why Does It Take That Long To Close The Hole After Tooth Extraction?

There are several forces at play that determine the time duration in which a hole can be filled after the tooth extraction. The type and size of the tooth extracted and the type of extraction method opted for are some important factors that have a say in the recovery period.

There are four types of teeth in a grown-up adult. They are Incisors, Canines, Molars and Premolars. They vary in their specifics and size.

If a large tooth is extracted, it leaves behind a large hole to be filled. This requires a correspondingly more time to recover. Similarly, if the tooth extracted is small, the area that has to be healed is small and it takes less time to heal.

The type of extraction method which is used in the extraction process is a significant determiner. If the person opts for a simple extraction, the hole will fill within a week. Nonetheless, if the patient decides to go with the surgical extraction method, the recovery time will be longer.

Another important factor that determines how fast a person recovers is his genetics and medical history. If a person has a history of alcohol or tobacco consumption, the recovery will get delayed. Moreover, the less the age of the patient, the faster they heal because the process of cell division is faster in young ones than in older ones.

Conclusion

It will take over three months for the hole to be filled in ideal conditions. However, the person would get immediate relief from bleeding within hours of tooth extraction. It would take a few weeks before the gum covers the site of tooth extraction and it will get partially healed in seven to eight weeks.

The healing of a tooth extraction site depends on various factors. The size of the tooth extracted, the method of extraction, and the medical history of the patient are some considerable factors that affect the recovery time.

References

1. https://aap.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1902/jop.2010.100286
2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1708-8208.2012.00450.x