“What should a tooth extraction look like when healing?”

There are many phases of healing from a dental extraction and it depends on how complex and involved the extraction was and whether or not anything was done to fill the extraction site after the extraction. A site that is not filled typically starts looking like it is filled with grape jelly and has red gums around it. As the “jelly” reduces the gum turns more pink and a slight to moderate indent will appear. As the gums continue to turn more pink the indent will decrease and eventually (may take years) become even with the surrounding gums. If something is done to fill the extraction site, there is typically the same process without the “jelly” and it tends to be faster with less indentation. If a membrane is used you may see something white or yellow in the area of the extraction until the gums close over the site.

The first day or two you will likely see a blood clot in the socket site. It isn’t unusual to look dark red mixed with some white areas. After about a week it will begin to fill in with gum tissue but it will still look like a little socket (or pocket). For the ridge to completely smooth out it can take a few weeks to months.


Hope this helps,

Jossi Stokes, DDS

It will usually have a white appearance due to the scab healing over the top of it is wet, so it will be white. As long as the pain is getting better and there is no swelling, then just let it heal.

That is a very difficult Question to answer because it is such a generic question and there are so many variables involved in tooth extraction. It is almost like asking what should a car look like. In general it might be easier to answer what it should not generally look like. In general we don't expect massive swelling,redness, bleeding and purulent exudate. Now impacted wisdom tooth extraction will obviously have more swelling possible than a more simple extraction because there is more surgical access incision and bone excising. A surgical non wisdom tooth extraction will generally have less than many wisdom tooth but more than a more simple extraction. Many simple extraction sites will have a whitish color tissue in the socket That is the clot which is just like a scab on skin gets whitish when soaked.

Sometimes a small hole; mostly no pain.

Pink, possibly gray and white-ish. You don’t want to see it screaming red.